We’ve rounded up the top medical records industry articles from October 2020. Check out key health information news highlights below.
Celebrating Health Information Professionals Week 2020
Health Information Professionals (HIP) Week took place in October, celebrating the impact health information professionals have on patient care around the world. ScanSTAT employees shared their thoughts on how health information makes the industry better for patients in our October blog post. More information about HIP week can be found on the official website.
ONC Extends Interoperability Compliance Timeframes in Response to COVID-19 –
In late October 2020, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released an Interim Final Regulation extending the deadline for organizations to meet new compliance standards. This publication builds on another announcement from the ONC in April of this year, enabling the U.S. health care system to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to advance patients’ access rights. Additional insights on this ruling can be found here.
Ransomware Attacks Increase in Q3, Heavily Targeting the Healthcare Sector
According to Check Point, daily ransomware attacks are up 50% in the third quarter from the first half of the year. These findings mirror a report from Microsoft. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in ransomware attacks on health systems as hackers attempt to force organizations to pay the ransom in exchange for restoring operations.
The Joint Commission Releases 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
The Joint Commission published its 2021 National Patient Safety Goals. According to the commission, “Each year we gather information about emerging patient safety issues from widely recognized experts and stakeholders. This information is the basis for our National Patient Safety Goals, which we tailor for each specific program.” These recommendations cover hospitals, behavioral heath, home care, and laboratory categories, among others.