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Information technology

Store-and-forward telehealth service replaces the office visit​ | mHealthIntelligence

Rush University Medical Center's new SmartExam service uses a store-and-forward telehealth platform to treat patients with minor health concerns. It's an ideal platform for a hospital just beginning its digital health journey.

Medical devices and equipment

FDA, industry fear wave of medical-device hacks​ | The Hill

Regulators and medical-device-makers are bracing for an expected barrage of hacking attacks even as legal and technical uncertainties leave them in uncharted territory.

Pharmaceuticals

California presses forward in fight to regulate pharma | Kaiser Health News

In November, California voters defeated a ballot proposal that would have given state government more control over drug prices. It was a victory for pharmaceutical companies, which spent more than $100 million campaigning against the measure.

Just how much is a medical miracle worth? | Bloomberg

Sofia Priebe, 14, is slowly going blind. Her parents were devastated when they were told there's no treatment for the genetic mutation that's causing her retinas to deteriorate. For the dozen years since Sofia received that diagnosis, her mother has lived every parent's nightmare—being powerless to help her suffering child.

Lawmakers want drug makers to stop frustrating generic rivals | STAT

Once again, congressional lawmakers have introduced a bill that would end a practice that generic drug makers complain is used by brand-name rivals to thwart competition.

Safety, quality and clinical practice

In 'Stealth Move,' Mich. refines vaccine waivers, improves rate among kids | Kaiser Health News

Just three years ago, Michigan had the fourth-highest rate of unvaccinated kindergartners in the nation. But when a charter school in northwestern Traverse City reported nearly two dozen cases of whooping cough and several cases of measles that November, state officials were jolted to action.