Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Lucia Savage
An Open Letter To ARPA-H Designers: 5 Guiding Principles From Health Services Research
Proposals for an agency to drive innovative health research are not new. President Biden’s proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) seeks to address longstanding challenges within the health research ecosystem, acknowledging that the traditional approaches to funding, conducting, and disseminating research are not achieving the results the nation might expect.
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program: Why Hasn’t Its Promise Been Fulfilled?
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is a milestone of innovation. First, it was the first Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) model test to be expanded as a standard benefit in CMS 2018 Physician Fee Schedule. Second, it was the first program model that used non-clinically trained coaches and community health workers to deliver value-based care that is reimbursed based on health outcomes.
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program: Why Hasn’t Its Promise Been Fulfilled?
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is a milestone of innovation. First, it was the first Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) model test to be expanded as a standard benefit in CMS 2018 Physician Fee Schedule. Second, it was the first program model that used non-clinically trained coaches and community health workers to deliver value-based care that is reimbursed based on health outcomes.
Five Areas Where The Office Of Civil Rights Can Improve Its Proposed Changes To HIPAA, And Advance Interoperability
On December 10, 2020, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), released draft regulatory changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), stating its intention to “support individuals’ engagement in their care, remove barriers to coordinated care, and reduce regulatory burdens on the healthcare industry.” For unknown reasons, the proposed regulatory changes were not officially published in the Federal Register until...
Five Areas Where The Office For Civil Rights Can Improve Its Proposed Changes To HIPAA, And Advance Interoperability
On December 10, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), released draft regulatory changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), stating its intention to “support individuals’ engagement in their care, remove barriers to coordinated care, and reduce regulatory burdens on the healthcare industry.” For unknown reasons, the proposed regulatory changes were not officially published in the Federal Register until...
Health-Care Provider Apps are Private, But Fitness Apps? Not So Much
On March 2, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act. It is just one of several new state consumer privacy laws—California has been through at least two iterations in three years. States are passing these consumer protection laws because there is no nationwide consumer privacy law. When I worked at the Department of Health and Human Services in 2016, the agency pointed out this gap in a report submitted to Congress.
Health-Care Provider Apps are Private, But Fitness Apps? Not So Much
On March 2, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act. It is just one of several new state consumer privacy laws—California has been through at least two iterations in three years. States are passing these consumer protection laws because there is no nationwide consumer privacy law. When I worked at the Department of Health and Human Services in 2016, the agency pointed out this gap in a report submitted to Congress.
In The Digital Era, Payment Reform Is Key To Shaping A Modern Medicare Program
Given the expected negative impacts of COVID-19 and other factors weakening Medicare's financial solvency, the benefits of the digital age have never been more necessary to realize. This requires an effort to modernize the program: updating its coverage and payment approaches to digital technology as part of a larger effort to realize more value from modern program operations and benefit design.
Rethinking CMS Coverage And Reimbursement For The Fourth Industrial (AKA Digital) Revolution
Our society is in the beginning stages of the Fourth Industrial Revolution “a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological sphere.” There is great potential for digital technology to modernize US health care: from increasing the range of delivery modes outside of buildings; to improving the value of existing products such as adding to medications coatings that give off digital signals for medication adherence; to computer-generated clinical...
Op-ed: Privacy considerations to keep in mind with Amazon's Halo Original
Amazon Halo accessory bands Source: Amazon This week's launch of the Amazon Halo wearable represents a critical new entrant not only into the health-tech wearable industry, but also into the broader health care ecosystem. Amazon's Halo will compete with Fitbit and Apple Watch, and start-ups like the Oura Ring.
Keep Security Front and Center
By Matt Fisher – As National Cybersecurity Month comes to a close, it should be stated that security and cybersecurity need care and attention all year long. To effectively protect data in an organization’s trust, security demands constant vigilance and an evolving approach to recognize the shifting nature of threats. The post Keep Security Front and Center appeared first on HITECH Answers: HIPAA, MIPS, EHR, Cybersecurity News. Tags: CenterFrontKeepSecurity
4 Ways Using the HHS Security Risk Assessment Tool Can Help Your Organization
About Health IT Answers Health IT Answers is the aggregated site for our community hub sites dedicated to educating healthcare providers and other stakeholders on the adoption of health information technology, health information exchange, the HITECH Act, the CMS EHR Incentive Program, Meaningful Use and other Federal Health IT initiatives. The site is hosted and operated by Answers Media Company LLC. About Answers Media Network
Friends of Foes: Privacy and Artificial Intelligence
By Matt Fisher – Headlines proclaiming the next great application of artificial intelligence appear with a great degree of frequency. As much that is true generally, healthcare seems to receive potentially an even greater amount of such announcements. The post Friends of Foes: Privacy and Artificial Intelligence appeared first on HITECH Answers: HIPAA, MIPS, EHR, Cybersecurity News. Tags: ArtificialFoesFriendsIntelligenceprivacy
A Decade of Health Datapalooza: Its Evolution and Importance to the Rise of Digital Health
By: Lucia Savage, Chief Privacy and Regulatory Officer Ten years ago, 45 policymakers from the U.S. and U.K. convened in Washington, DC. The digital health revolution was in its infancy, and the group had come together to discuss accelerating innovation by making government data sets available to the public. While the event was open press, public reporting was light.
Who Owns Your Personal Health Data? Who Deserves to Hold It?
May 30, 2018 Lucia Savage and Bill Dougherty It seemingly happens every other week -- a financial institution, health system, or other company announces its systems have been hacked, and user (or patient) data is at risk, being held ransom, or otherwise compromised. In April, Under Armour-backed MyFitnessPal, a company that collects health data via a wearable digital, announced the information of 150 million user had been exposed.
Bitter ROI Irony: Former ONC HIPAA Rights Advocate Faced Same Frustrating Record Access Challenges as Other Patients
By Lucia Savage, JD One hallmark of my work as chief privacy officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) was reminding everyone about the individual’s right to get a copy of their own protected health information (PHI) and, since 2009, to download or transmit it directly from a certified electronic health record (EHR) system. In my last few months at ONC in late 2016, and continuing into 2017, I had two occasions to exercise this right myself.
To Combat ‘Information Blocking,’ Look To HIPAA
Back in 2009, when the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act became law, US taxpayers committed $300 million to seed nationwide health information exchange. Taxpayers also agreed to pay what turned out to be $35 billion in incentive payments for physicians and hospitals to adopt and “meaningfully use” electronic health records (EHRs).
The Real HIPAA Supports Interoperability - Health IT Buzz
At ONC, we hear all of the time that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) makes it difficult, if not impossible, to move electronic health data when and where it is needed for patient care and health. This is a misconception, but unfortunately one that is widespread. This blog series and accompanying fact sheets aim to correct this misunderstanding so that health information is more often available when and where it is needed.
Keeping Consumers in the Know: Help Us Update the Model Privacy Notice
As ever more sophisticated retail health technology – like exercise trackers, wearable health technologies, or mobile applications that help individuals monitor various body measurements – comes into widespread use, it is increasingly important for consumers to be aware of companies’ privacy and security policies, including data sharing practices.
The Real HIPAA - Health IT Buzz
Welcome to the fourth and final blog post in our series on how HIPAA supports interoperability. In the previous installments, we provided practical examples and illustrations that show how Health Care Operations Permitted Uses and Disclosures apply to covered entities. In this post, we pick up where we left off and provide examples of how HIPAA supports exchange of electronic health information for Quality Assessment/Quality Improvement and Population-Based Activities.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Lucia
Contact Lucia, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack