Princess Health and Feds find security flaws in Kynect; state says no data breaches; problems also found in federal exchange. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Feds find security flaws in Kynect; state says no data breaches; problems also found in federal exchange. Princessiccia

electronic health records health insurance insurance exchange Kynect privacy

Gusty 14:41 Add Comment

State health-insurance exchanges in Kentucky, Vermont and California had "significant weaknesses" in protecting their electronic information from hackers, the Government Accountability Office said in a report last month.

"These included insufficient encryption and inadequately configured firewalls, among others," said the report from the investigating arm of Congress. "In September 2015, GAO reported these results to the three states, which generally agreed and have plans in place to address the weaknesses."

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Frankfort-based Adam Beam of The Associated Press report, "Vermont authorities would not discuss the findings, but officials in California and Kentucky said this week that there was no evidence hackers succeeded in stealing anything."

The report said the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the exchanges, had not fully implemented its oversight of their security and privacy protections.

"The GAO report examined the three states' systems from October 2013 to March 2015 and released an abbreviated, public version of its findings last month without identifying the states," AP reports. "Thursday, the GAO revealed the states' names in response to a Freedom of Information [Act] request from the AP. According to the GAO, one state did not encrypt passwords, potentially making it easy for hackers to gain access to individual accounts. One state did not properly use a filter to block hostile attempts to visit the website. And one state did not use the proper encryption on its servers, making it easier for hackers to get in. The report did not say which state had what problem."

Steve Beshear, who was governor until early December, told AP through a spokeswoman that "because of the time required to fix the technical issues, not all those issues had been addressed" when Republican Gov. Matt Bevin took over. "It is important to note that there were never any security breaches of any kind, and no one's information was ever compromised."

Doug Hogan, spokesman for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, told AP the fixes "are in various stages of completion and implementation" and security is "of the utmost importance" to the Bevin administration.

Bevin is dismantling Kentucky's exchange, which Beshear branded as Kynect, and planning to transfer the 93,000-plus people who used it to buy federally subsidized policies to the federal exchange, Healthcare.gov.

"But Kentuckians' information might not be any safer on the federal exchange," AP reports. "According to the GAO report, Healthcare.gov had 316 security incidents between October 2013 and March 2015. Such incidents can include unauthorized access, disclosure of data or violations of security practices. None resulted in lost or stolen data, but the GAO said technical weaknesses with the federal system 'will likely continue to jeopardize the confidentiality, integrity and availability of Healthcare.gov.'"

Princess Health and Dr. Steven J. Stack of Lexington is sworn in as 170th president of the American Medical Association.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Dr. Steven J. Stack of Lexington is sworn in as 170th president of the American Medical Association.Princessiccia

electronic health records hospitals physicians

Gusty 18:11 Add Comment

Dr. Steven J. Stack, an emergency physician practicing in Lexington, was sworn in as the 170th president of the American Medical Association, the nation�s largest physician organization.

Dr. Steven J. Stack

He is the organization�s youngest president in the past 160 years and is the first board-certified emergency-room physician elected to the post.

Stack says he will focus his tenure on advancing the AMA�s three strategic areas: improving health outcomes for those with pre-diabetes and hypertension; accelerating change in medical education to ensure physicians are prepared to meet the needs of a 21st century health care system; and enhancing physician satisfaction and practice sustainability.

"I am honored and privileged to be named president of an organization that is dedicated to the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health and a profession that is working to improve the health of our nation," Stack said in a press release. "I look forward to serving on behalf of America�s physicians to not only create a brighter future for the medical profession but a healthier America one patient at time, one family at a time and one community at a time."

Stack gained national recognition for his expertise in health information technology while serving as chair of the AMA's Health Information Technology Advisory Group from 2007 to 2013. He has also served on multiple federal advisory groups for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and as Secretary for eHealth Initiative, a non-profit multi-stakeholder organization committed to advancing health care through health information technology.

In Kentucky, Stack has served as medical director of the emergency departments at Saint Joseph East in Lexington and Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, both part of KentuckyOne Health. He was also previous medical director of the emergency department at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Stack was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2006. In the last eight years, he has served in many leadership positions, including chair and secretary. Prior to his service on the AMA board, he was an elected leader in numerous state, national and specialty medical associations.

He is the second Lexington physician to lead the AMA in three years. Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Kentucky, led the group in 2013-14.

Princess Health andHow has the federal health-reform law changed your care?.Princessiccia

Princess Health andHow has the federal health-reform law changed your care?.Princessiccia

cancer screening doctors electronic health records immunizations obamacare physicians prevention vaccinations women's health

Gusty 15:04 Add Comment

Despite the controversy that continues to surround the Patient Protection and Affordable Act five years after its passage, it has probably changed the way your health care is delivered as it drives new models of payment, forces providers to approach care differently, and changes how health care is evaluated, Kavita Patel and Domitilla Masi report for the Brookings Institution.

Here are five ways the authors say that your health care might be different than it was five years ago because of the reform law:

Your physician might be part of a patient care team. New payment models in the ACA encourage an interdisciplinary team-based approach, which evidence shows "can lead to higher quality care and better health outcomes for patient." This approach allows the physician to spend more time diagnosing and devising a treatment plan, while the patient may spend more time interacting with non-physician staff for support care.

Prevention and wellness are more important than ever. The ACA requires health plans to cover all preventive screenings, immunizations and well visits for women at no cost, as part of the minimum benefits required in order for health-insurance plans to participate in exchanges like Kynect. The new payment models also pay physicians who work toward keeping their patients healthy, instead of just treating them when they are sick. " Since the policy took effect in September 2010 it is estimated that an additional 76 million people now receive preventive care," the authors write.

You may have better access to care on evenings and weekends. New payment models are driving this change as practices are often required to offer extended hours to decrease the overuse of emergency departments. Many offices now offer clinical advice around the clock with a clinician who has immediate access to their medical records.

Chances are your health information is being stored in an electronic health record, not a paper file. A separate law encouraged the use of EHRs, but "participation in the new ACA-promoted delivery models is practically impossible" without them. And while EHRs can be used to greatly improve patient care, not all EHRs are created equal and it will take time before patients see seamless integration and exchange between different doctors and settings in "real-time".

You can access care remotely, wherever you are. Doctors are using mobile technology and tele-health in rural and remote areas to provide more efficient care to patients. Insurance companies and employers are beginning to recognize this mode of treatment not only as a way to save money, but to also provide timely access to care, that does not involve the emergency room.

Princess Health and Princess Health andUK hospital tells 1,079 former patients that a laptop computer with their medical records was stolen in early February.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andUK hospital tells 1,079 former patients that a laptop computer with their medical records was stolen in early February.Princessiccia

electronic health records hospitals medical records privacy University of Kentucky

Gusty 09:55 Add Comment

The University of Kentucky reported Wednesday that personal health information of 1,079 people who had been patients at its hospital was on a laptop computer that was stolen in early February.

UK HealthCare said the computer, which was password-protected, belonged to one of its pharmacy billing management vendors. The computer contained dates of birth, medical records and perhaps some patients' insurance carriers and ID numbers, but not Social Security numbers or bank information, UK said.

"We have no reason to believe at this time that any data has been compromised, but under federal privacy regulations we are required to notify people whose information was on the computer in question," UK spokesman Jay Blanton said. "We are also notifying those individuals directly about what has occurred. In that communication, we provide information about where people can contact UK HealthCare for further information." For coverage from WKYT-TV, click here.

Princess Health and Survey shows most rural doctors in Southern Kentucky aren�t ready for electronic health records; grant will help them switch.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Survey shows most rural doctors in Southern Kentucky aren�t ready for electronic health records; grant will help them switch.Princessiccia

area health education centers electronic health records health reform Medicaid Medicare rural health rural-urban disparities

Gusty 05:07 Add Comment

A recent survey found that 63 percent of rural health providers in Southern Kentucky have not installed electronic health records software, so more than 280 of the small and rural doctor practices surveyed could face financial penalties from Medicaid and Medicare if they do not install it by 2015. Federal grant money will help them make the switch.

Many rural Kentucky providers are near retirement and are deciding between making the necessary investment of capital and personnel that is required to make the switch to electronic records or to just close their practice, according to a release from Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp., which led the effort to get the grant

Decisions to close practices and to avoid using electronic health records could be problematic to rural areas in Kentucky, since the state already has doctor shortages, especially in rural areas. If the state expands the Medicaid program under federal health reform, the number of insured patients could increase much more than the number of physicians in Southern Kentucky, an area where many people are uninsured.

�Large hospitals in the region such as ARH, Baptist Regional and others have successfully installed this software, and they are using the system with quality results,� Richard Murch, an IT consultant who specializes in electronic health records and is working on the project, said in teh release. But he said the process is complicated and requires extra staff and resources that are sometimes difficult to find in the area.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded a project called Stronger Economies Together to improve the biomedical and life-science practices in the region. SET plans to provide resources and training to help providers and health systems make a successful switch to electronic health records, which the release said could create about 100 jobs over the next few years.

The survey showed 73 percent of doctors� practices have asked for help transferring to and using electronic records. �SET reviewed industry sector research to determine health care and health related businesses as the fastest growing business segment of our rural economy,� said Jerry Rickett, president and CEO of Kentucky Highlands. For more information about SET and its partner programs, click here.