News You Can Use – May 2024

Health Tech Havoc

This month’s episode of “News You Can Use” on Healthcare NOW Radio features news from the month of May 2024.

The show that gives you a quick insight into the latest news, twists, turns and debacles going on in healthcare with my friend and co-host Craig Joseph, MD (@CraigJoseph) Chief Medical Officer at Nordic Consulting Partners and myself, where every diagnosis comes with a side of humor. We hope you stay curious, stay engaged, and keep seeking the truth in healthcare in a world that thrives on information.

Buckle up as we dive into the ER of excitement, the ICU of irrationality, and the waiting room of wacky wisdom in this months show that features a review of:

• Ransomware attacks in healthcare
• Advances and controversies in AI
• AI for healthcare communication
• Study of Patient preferences for virtual consultation backgrounds
• The life and legacy of healthcare advocate Marshall Allen, author of “Never Pay the First Bill”

Hospitals Under Siege

This week we kick things off with the elephant in the hospital room – those brutal ransomware attacks hitting major health systems like Ascension. As we bluntly put it, “It’s just going from bad to worse.” Despite the catastrophic Change Healthcare breach serving as a wake-up call, these massive digital assaults keep happening, leaving patients stranded in corridors. The odds are stacked against preventing infiltrations into the hugely complex tech infrastructures at big organizations. There is more need to prepare for these events with tabletop drills which based on my recent volunteer incident response event for a hazmat release, is well worthwhile to develop experience.

The AI revolution also took center stage this week, with the reveal of ChatGPT’s new voice model embroiled in a consent controversy after allegedly using an actor’s voice without approval. Craig wasted no time offering up his vocals: “Open AI staffers listening can use my voice – no charge!”

Spilling the Beans on What Patients Really Want

But AI presents a double-edged sword – handy for automating note-taking but ripe for misuse if the wrong voices make the cut. Just ask the lawyers whose AI committed accidental “user divorce!”. And we review the findings of a study showing patients overwhelmingly prefer video consults with professional backdrops over home settings.

On a sober note, we pay tribute to author Marshall Allen, whose tragic passing silenced a powerful voice in the fight against medical billing injustice. He has a GoFundMe page here. His book should be required reading for anyone who’s gotten those dreaded surprise bills. The bureaucratic headache concluded with a rant about Facebook and LinkedIn making it a 12-click ordeal just to report fake accounts and bots. Maybe they’ll fix that…right after the ransomware debacle!

We hope you enjoy our take on the latest news and developments in healthcare and want to help you keep untangling the web of information, dodging the sensational pitfalls, and emerging victorious, albeit a little dizzy, on the other side. In the end, the stories we uncover, and the discussions we ignite, all shape the narrative of our shared future. We want to hear from you especially if you have topics covered or questions you’d like answered. You can reach out directly via the contact form on my website, or send a message on LinkedIn to Craig or me.

Until next week keep solving healthcare’s mysteries before they become your emergencies.

This article was originally published on the Dr. Nick – The Incrementalist blog and is republished here with permission.

News You Can Use gives you a quick insight into the latest news, twists, turns and debacles going on in healthcare with Dr. Nick and Dr. Craig and where every diagnosis comes with a side of side-splitting humor. Your hosts are Dr Nick a long-time host, innovator and healthcare wizard who can prescribe a digital dose of innovation to cure even the most ailing operational inefficiencies. And Dr. Craig Joseph is the healthcare guru who can diagnose both patient and software glitches with equal precision, making sure hospitals run smoother than a well-oiled robot doc.

So buckle up, because we’re diving into the ER of excitement, the ICU of irrationality, and the waiting room of wacky wisdom.

Stay curious, stay engaged, and keep seeking the truth in a world that thrives on information. Because in the end, the stories we uncover, and the discussions we ignite, they all shape the narrative of our shared future.

And keep laughing at the absurdity, keep rolling your eyes at the headlines, and keep spreading the news like your favorite gossip. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be the breaking news story we’re all talking about!

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