Category: Uncategorized

Hospitals continue to shed jobs in May as healthcare bounces back

Hospitals continue to shed jobs in May as healthcare bounces back

June 05, 2020  TARA BANNOW Healthcare hiring began to bounce in May, but hosptial still shed jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic affected their finances. Hospitals shed 26,700 jobs in May, which is not as steep as the BLS’ estimate that they lost 135,000 jobs in April. Several health systems including UW Medicine in Wisconsin and Cape […]

Next phase of telemedicine to move beyond video visits

Next phase of telemedicine to move beyond video visits

JESSICA KIM COHEN May 23, 2020 In the wake of COVID-19, Modern Healthcare moved its annual Transformation Summit online. The five-part webinar series brought together healthcare and technology leaders to discuss topics like innovation in times of emergency, patient-centered care and mental health. The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the U.S. may have given telemedicine adoption a […]

Top 10 Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities

Top 10 Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities

May 18, 2020 Recently the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an alert identifying the top 10 cybersecurity vulnerabilities routinely exploited by foreign malicious actors. OCR is sharing this alert with our listserv to raise awareness of these vulnerabilities so organizations can take appropriate actions to […]

APT Groups Target Healthcare and Essential Services

APT Groups Target Healthcare and Essential Services

May 6, 2020 OCR is sharing the following update with our listserv from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, warning individuals that advanced persistent threat (APT) groups are exploiting the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as part of their cyber operations.   National Cyber Awareness System:   […]

Webinar Recording Now Available: OCR Update on HIPAA and COVID-19

Webinar Recording Now Available: OCR Update on HIPAA and COVID-19

April 29, 2020 The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) hosted a webinar on April 24, 2020, for health IT stakeholders on HIPAA privacy and security issues related to COVID-19 and recent OCR actions related to the pandemic.   A recording of this webinar is now available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2C6iOdS_FR0.  The slides from this presentation […]

Trump Administration Launches New Toolkit to Help States Navigate COVID-19 Health Workforce Challenges

Trump Administration Launches New Toolkit to Help States Navigate COVID-19 Health Workforce Challenges

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Apr 22, 2020  At President Trump’s direction, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released a new toolkit to help state and local healthcare decision makers maximize workforce flexibilities when confronting 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in their communities. This toolkit includes […]

CMS to allow providers to practice at top of license, across states

CMS to allow providers to practice at top of license, across states

April 09, 2020 MICHAEL BRADY  The CMS on Thursday will allow providers to practice across state lines and at their top of license. The new flexibilities allow doctors to treat patients at rural hospitals via telehealth, even if they’re out-of-state. Nurse practitioners will also be allowed to perform select medical exams for Medicare patients in […]

FBI Releases Guidance on Defending Against VTC Hijacking and Zoom-bombing

FBI Releases Guidance on Defending Against VTC Hijacking and Zoom-bombing

April 5, 2020   OCR is sharing the following update with our listserv from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, warning individuals to remain vigilant for scams related to COVID-19. National Cyber Awareness System:   FBI Releases Guidance on Defending Against VTC Hijacking and Zoom-bombing 04/02/2020 11:39 […]

OCR Issues Bulletin on Civil Rights Laws and HIPAA Flexibilities That Apply During the COVID-19 Emergency

OCR Issues Bulletin on Civil Rights Laws and HIPAA Flexibilities That Apply During the COVID-19 Emergency

March 28, 2020 Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing a bulletin to ensure that entities covered by civil rights authorities keep in mind their obligations under laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, […]

CMS sets up accelerated and advanced Medicare payments due to coronavirus

CMS sets up accelerated and advanced Medicare payments due to coronavirus

March 28, 2020 Modern Healthcare The CMS Saturday detailed how providers can access accelerated or advanced Medicare payments under the new economic stimulus package. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act—CARES—which President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday, enables all Medicare providers to tap into an emergency fund in order to shore up their […]