VA EHR System Outage, California Launching Statewide HIE
The Department of Veterans Affairs experienced an EHR system outage after an Oracle database failure, and California is preparing to launch a health information exchange for its 40 million residents.
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By - Connected health technology is making inroads in the State of California as officials there prepare to release the framework for their new statewide health information exchange (HIE) database in July. But at the Department of Veterans Affairs, technology has become a problem of late after a second electronic health record (EHR) outage.
Meanwhile, recent data illuminates an increased number of data breach lawsuits filed against healthcare provider organizations.
VA EHR System Outage after Oracle System Failure
Last Wednesday, an Oracle database failure led to a VA EHR system outage lasting around two hours. After officials at the VA restarted the Cerner system, it was back online, and no data was lost or corrupted. “Cerner remains steadfast in its support of our federal clients’ efforts to provide timely, high-quality care through a single, common electronic health record,” said Pat Sargent, general manager of Cerner Government Services. This is the second reported outage since March when a software bug shut the EHR system down for 20 hours. Officials at the VA are now producing a full incident report that addresses the outage. READ MORE.
California to Launch Statewide HIE
California is preparing to launch a statewide HIE that will collect patient data from the state’s 40 million residents. Representatives from California’s Health and Human Services Department expect to release a framework for the program by July 2022. The centralization of patient data is expected to boost care coordination and enable providers to share data more efficiently. Governor Gavin Newsom worked to create the budget for the project, and if successful, California would join 45 other states that have either approved or implemented a statewide HIE system. READ MORE.
Data Breach Lawsuits Rising
Recent data from law firm BakerHostetler showed an increase in lawsuits after data breaches. The report found that 23 data breach incidents resulted in 58 lawsuits. Of those 58 lawsuits, 43 were filed against healthcare provider organizations. Data breach incidents are notoriously difficult for plaintiffs to win because of the burden of injury that must be proved due to the breach; however, these cases result in high legal costs for healthcare organizations and even greater costs if the organization is forced to pay out settlements. READ MORE.
AHA Seeking More COVID-19 Relief for Providers
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has stressed the urgent need for additional financial assistance for hospitals in a letter to Congress. The letter comes as a response to the federal government’s failure to allocate COVID-19 funding in its recent budget bill. AHA requested that congress consider issuing additional provider relief funds and extending the moratorium on Medicare sequestration. This letter is one of many that AHA has sent to Congress urging further assistance for providers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE.
CMS Releases Alzheimer's Coverage Determination
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its national coverage determination for monoclonal antibody use in treating Alzheimer’s disease. According to the decision, reimbursement for treatments will only be considered for individuals participating in clinical studies of drugs directed against amyloid plaques. Medicare beneficiaries will also be reimbursed for participating in clinical trials of drugs that don’t demonstrate clinical benefits. Coverage extends to PET scans and other related services if needed. READ MORE.
