Information Technology
Biotech billionaire plans bigger expansions in Phoenix (video) | Phoenix Business JournalDr. Patrick Soon-Shiong—who said he already has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the Phoenix area—is continuing his interest in the Phoenix health and biotech community.
White hat hackers hit 12 hospitals to prove patient life 'extremely vulnerable' | Forbes.com
A two-year research project into the security of 12 hospitals and a variety of medical technologies has concluded that patient health is “extremely vulnerable” to digital attacks.
Healthcare needs to do a better job encrypting data: report | Wall Street Journal
In 2015, 24 million Californians' health records were breached, with the majority of breaches caused by loss of unencrypted data, according to a report from the California attorney general's office. “The industry appears to be improving in its use of encryption to protect data on laptops and other portable devices, but there is still a long way to go in addressing this preventable type of breach,” the report said.
CDC, NIH face brunt of malware endemic at HHS | Federal Times
HHS and the agencies under its umbrella experienced over 26,000 cybersecurity incidents between January 2013 and September 2015, according to data Federal Times procured via FOIA requests. While the majority of incidents could not be definitively proven to be malicious, the CDC and NIH suffered a large number of scans and attempts to gain access, as well as instances of malicious code.
Pharmaceuticals
Most drug makers report incomplete side effects to the FDA | STATAlthough drugmakers are required to investigate and submit reports on drug side effects to the Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System, a new study finds that the reports are often incomplete. Researchers worry the omissions could be problematic as lawmakers push for looser regulation to speed approval for new drugs.
Safety, Quality and Clinical Practice
Doctors warn of demand for 'vaginal seeding' despite thin evidence | ReutersMore women delivering babies via cesarean section are requesting "vaginal seeding," a process in which a swab from a mothers birth canal is wiped over the infant's face and mouth to mimic the bacterial transfer that would occur during vaginal birth, despite lack of evidence of effectiveness or benefit, a group of physicians report in the BMJ. The trend as grown amid recent research indicating children delivered via c-section have increased risk of obesity, allergies and some auto-immune disorders.
