POQD 2024-09-15

A study assessed the impact of a co-designed patient-reported outcome (PRO) clinical dashboard on shared decision-making (SDM) and symptomatology in patients with advanced cancer and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Results showed significant improvements in SDM and a clinically meaningful decrease in anxiety levels among cancer patients over six months. These findings suggest that PRO clinical dashboards can enhance patient engagement, reduce anxiety, and improve the quality of care in chronic and advanced disease management

Justin Manjourides, a biostatistics expert, emphasizes the importance of traditional statistical principles when incorporating AI into healthcare research. He outlines five key considerations: ensuring AI addresses the correct questions, having appropriate and sufficient data, understanding AI algorithm limitations, and assessing the reliability of AI-generated insights. By adhering to these principles, healthcare researchers can effectively integrate AI while maintaining scientific rigor and generating reliable results.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has developed a secure and private environment to integrate large language models (LLMs) for non-clinical applications, focusing on research and operational tasks. Overcoming governance, ethical, regulatory, and technical challenges, they deployed a HIPAA-compliant generative AI tool, GPT4DFCI, which enhances efficiency and streamlines administrative tasks. Renato Umeton, the director of AI operations, emphasizes the importance of establishing comprehensive AI governance frameworks and phased rollouts to ensure safe and effective AI deployment in healthcare.

Google Cloud's Healthcare and Life Sciences Summer Camp offers a bi-weekly digital series featuring discussions on trending topics in the healthcare and life sciences sector. Starting June 26, sessions will cover information security, ambient listening, digital pathology, radiology and enterprise imaging, and research and collaboration. Participants can register for the full series and attend sessions that interest them, engaging with experts in an informal online setting.

Epic has introduced a new feature that allows patients to more easily share their medical records with health or wellness apps. This feature, part of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), aims to enhance patient control over health data and improve interoperability across healthcare providers. By simplifying the process of accessing and sharing electronic medical records, Epic's initiative supports a more patient-centric approach to healthcare.

In 2022, Medicare Advantage plans handled over 46 million prior authorization requests, a significant increase from 37 million in 2019. Despite most requests being approved, 7.4% were denied, with only 9.9% of those denials being appealed; however, over 80% of appeals resulted in overturned denials, indicating potential issues with the initial review process. Recent CMS regulations aim to streamline and standardize prior authorization processes, ensuring they are medically necessary and equitable, while legislative efforts seek to improve transparency and timeliness in prior authorizations.

Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, telehealth abortion services have expanded significantly in the U.S., with the number of virtual clinics doubling from September 2022 to June 2023. This study documents the growth and policies of these virtual clinics, noting limitations such as age restrictions, gestational limits, and limited insurance acceptance that create inequities in access. Addressing these barriers and state policy changes are essential to ensuring equitable access to telehealth abortion care.

The KP.3.1.1 COVID-19 variant has become the dominant strain in the U.S., making up 27.8% of positive cases according to CDC's latest projections. This variant, a sub-lineage of KP.3, shows minimal differences in spike protein compared to its predecessor and current treatments and vaccines remain effective. The CDC continues to monitor variant severity and vaccine effectiveness, advising vaccinations for all eligible individuals, especially the elderly and immunocompromised.