International health IT week in review: January 22

Pulse+IT's weekly round-up of international health IT and eHealth news for the week ending January 22 3:
Global digital exemplars waiting on central cash
Digital Health News ~ Laura Stevens ~ 19/01/2017
Twelve hospital trusts promised extra support to become global digital exemplars are still waiting on millions in central funds they were expecting last year.
Harvard study of almost 800k lives shows MedAware technology reduces medication error
MobiHealthNews ~ Heather Mack ~ 19/01/2017
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have demonstrated a new technology can help reduce a widespread problem that harms some 1.5 million people every year – medication error.
Tom Price takes aim at the inefficiencies of meaningful use
Healthcare IT News ~ Mike Milliard ~ 19/01/2017
The HHS nominee decries a law that has turned physicians "into data entry clerks." Meanwhile, genomics represents a "brave new world," he said, but "the challenges of how we afford to be able to make that available to our society are real."
New national NHS patient "data lake" proposed based on STPs
Digital Health News ~ Ben Heather ~ 18/01/2017
NHS officials have met with IT suppliers, including Google Deepmind, to discuss a national patient data collection service that will make both pseudonymised and identifiable patient data available for research.
Epic improvements pull Cambridge out of special measures
Digital Health News ~ Laura Stevens ~ 18/01/2017
The Care Quality Commission has recommended that one of the UK’s largest trusts is removed from special measures.
Surescripts to unveil new Sentinel e-prescription monitoring system at HIMSS17
Healthcare IT News ~ Ephraim Schwartz ~ 18/01/2017
The new network will be automated and, as such, capable of monitoring more prescriptions than it previously could. It will also provide a platform for Surecripts future plans, CEO Tom Skelton said.
Tom Price weighs pros, cons of electronic health records
FierceHealthcare ~ Gienna Shaw ~ 18/01/2017
Debate over the value of electronic health records arose at a meeting between legislators and Donald Trump’s choice for Health and Human Services secretary, Rep. Tom Price.
CPhA making database accessible through EMRs
Canadian Healthcare Technology ~ Staff writer ~ 18/01/2017
The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is now enabling the developers of EMRs to integrate their systems with CPhA’s drug (CPS) and therapeutics platform, RxTx.
Stanford Medicine launches Center for Digital Health
MobiHealthNews ~ Jonah Comstock ~ 17/01/2017
The Stanford University School of Medicine has launched a Center for Digital Health which will help support greater efficacy data for digital health tools by providing Silicon Valley companies with opportunities to develop, test, and implement new tools in collaboration with the university.
Blockchain technology merits day-long conference at HIMSS17
Health Data Management ~ Fred Bazzoli ~ 17/01/2017
The rise of blockchain technology as a potential tool within healthcare will rate closer examination during a full-day conference during HIMSS17 in Orlando, Fla.
Garmin expands fitness wearables in Africa
eHealthNews South Africa ~ Sikhumbuzo Hlabangane ~ 17/01/2017
Garmin has partnered with MTN to launch a range of wearable tech watches in Ghana to encourage people to live a more active lifestyle.
Trojan malware blamed for Barts cyber-attack
Digital Health News ~ Ben Heather ~ 16/01/2017
England’s biggest NHS trust says malware was behind a cyber-attack that forced the trust to shut down some IT systems for four days.
Community pharmacies targeted in NHSmail drive
Digital Health News ~ Ben Heather ~ 16/01/2017
Community pharmacies are being pushed to switch to NHSmail or miss out on a £75 million incentive-based funding pot.
WhatsApp refutes claim of backdoor
Healthcare Info Security ~ Jeremy Kirk ~ 16/01/2017
Facebook's WhatsApp has dismissed a charge that its application contains a backdoor that could be used to unlock encrypted messages.
EHRs help ensure proper patient use of blood thinners
Health Data Management ~ Greg Slabodkin ~ 16/01/2017
Electronic health records have demonstrated value in assisting with anticoagulation therapy between outpatient and inpatient settings and across multiple providers.
Barts Health NHS Trust hit with "IT attack"
Digital Health News ~ Ben Heather ~ 13/01/2017
England’s biggest hospital trust has been hit by an "IT attack", potentially infecting thousands of files.
Posted in Australian eHealth