Premier Inc. on cybersecurity: Healthcare needs cyber backup
Healthcare cybersecurity threats are escalating at an alarming rate, putting patient safety, sensitive data and critical systems at risk, according to Premier. To support informed policymaking, healthcare cybersecurity experts convened on Capitol Hill to highlight industry efforts, regulatory challenges and opportunities for collaboration. The discussion reinforced the shared responsibility between Congress, the Administration and the private sector to strengthen system resilience and protect patients.
In partnership with Premier’s advocacy office in Washington DC, Premier recently joined cybersecurity leaders from Baxter, Mount Sinai Health System, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Johnson & Johnson at a Capitol Hill briefing hosted by the Healthcare Leadership Council. The company told lawmakers healthcare needs new partnerships to keep our systems secure from evolving cyber threats.
Cybersecurity is a pressing threat to hospital operations, health data – and most importantly – patient lives. In the past year, 92 percent of healthcare organizations experienced at least one cyberattack. Downtime from ransomware attacks has cost healthcare organizations an average of $1.9 million per day, and healthcare has the highest average cost of a data breach of any sector, coming in at $9.77 million.
Owens & Minor opens distribution facility to support healthcare delivery in West Virginia and beyond
Owens & Minor announced the opening of an innovative new medical distribution center in Morgantown, West Virginia. Local partner, the West Virginia University Health System, which operates under the brand name WVU Medicine, joined Owens & Minor to celebrate the official grand opening.
The 350,000 square foot center of excellence integrates advanced robotics and order fulfilment capabilities that blend technology and human expertise to help drive greater efficiency and flexibility for WVU Medicine. Located just minutes from WVU Medicine’s flagship campus in Morgantown, its capabilities include custom surgical kitting, order fulfillment and product distribution. Owens & Minor Morgantown will serve all 25 acute care hospitals in the WVU Medicine system and is currently ramping up employment to bring on more than 100 new teammates by the end of 2025.
Owens & Minor designed the state-of-the-art facility, operations infrastructure, and supply distribution network to meet the unique challenges of WVU Medicine, including delivering healthcare in communities that are widely dispersed across West Virginia’s mountainous terrain.
“The Morgantown distribution center is more than just a logistical hub; it’s a testament to Owens & Minor’s commitment to innovating to meet the needs of partners like WVU Medicine,” said Edward A. Pesicka, President and CEO, Owens & Minor. “We appreciate the unique opportunities and challenges that come with building a healthcare supply chain that can efficiently serve a healthcare system with as much geographic diversity as WVU Medicine. We look forward to continuing our 10-year partnership and working alongside them to support healthcare delivery in the region.”
The partnership between Owens & Minor and WVU Medicine was announced in December 2021 and subsequently expanded to give the state of West Virginia the ability to rapidly leverage Owens & Minor’s logistics expertise and medical supply and distribution capabilities in response to future public health emergencies.
“This center of excellence is an important step in our partnership with Owens & Minor, and a tangible example of our unwavering commitment to serving our clinicians and enhancing patient care.” said Albert L. Wright Jr., President and CEO, West Virgina University Hospitals. “With a cutting-edge acute care medical distribution facility located right here in Morgantown, WVU Medicine is poised to further advance healthcare delivery for our community and the state of West Virginia.”
The Joint Commission and Coalition for Health AI join forces to scale the responsible use of AI in delivering healthcare
The Joint Commission, and the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), a nonprofit organization founded by clinicians to advance responsible health AI, announced a new partnership to accelerate the development and adoption of AI best practices and guidance across the U.S. healthcare system.
Together, the organizations will use their scale and expertise to co-develop a suite of AI playbooks, tools, and a new certification program rooted in The Joint Commission’s platform for evidence-based standards, and CHAI’s consensus-based best practices for health AI.
Adoption of AI in healthcare, from patient monitoring to drug approvals, is rapidly increasing. According to 2024 research, 46% of US healthcare organizations are in initial implementation of generative AI, and that number is only expected to grow. While the industry is embracing uses for AI, guidance on implementation is needed for all organizations to protect their staff, patients and operations. To meet this demand, this partnership will be the first to issue AI guidance for over 80 percent of healthcare organizations and programs in the U.S.
Repertoire Podcast: Revolutionizing Access – With new standards for medical diagnostic equipment in place, are your physician office customers equipped and compliant?
In a recent Repertoire Magazine podcast, Scott Adams interviewed August Boehnlein, Associate Marketing Manager for Midmark Corporation about how small details can have a profound effect on enhancing patient access and care. Take medical diagnostic equipment. In 2017, the US Access Board released standards for accessible medical equipment, but one key area – low seat height – remained flexible, allowing a range from 17 to 19 inches. The federal agency’s 2024 ruling finalized this by setting the low seat height requirement to 17 inches or lower.
To listen to the podcast, visit https://repertoiremag.com/new-standards-for-medical-diagnostic-equipment-are-your-customers-equipped-compliant.html