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Amazon Halo accessory bandsSource: AmazonThis weeks launch of the Amazon Halowearable represents a critical new entrant not only into the health-tech wearable industry, but also into the broader health care ecosystem.Amazons Halo will compete with Fitbit and Apple Watch, and start-ups like the Oura Ring. But the device not only allows customers to track things like exercise and sleep, which are common in fitness wearables, but can also track emotional changes by listening to the wearers tone of voice and can present a 3D body image with a body fat percentage.In aparallel announcement, one of the largest electronic medical record companies,Cerner Corporation, said that users of the Halo device will have the option to upload information collected by the device to their physicians Cerner health record, beginning with the Sharp Health System in San Diego.These developments potentially represent a step forward for physicians to make use of health data that patients generate on their own.But the new functionality of Halo also raises new privacy implications, which Ive spent my career focused on, both at private companies and at the federal government. A company that has changed our expectations around convenience and personalized recommendations will now be selling a device and membership to collect some of the most intimate health details of a persons life. And much of the conversation in the wake of Thursdays announcement has rightly centered on trust as Amazon makes a more direct entry into consumer health care.So going forward, the company would be well-served to keep several key topics in mind:No standard rules for data collection from wearablesIn 2016, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) the federal government team responsible for health and informatics policy development delivered a report to Congresshighlighting basic legal gaps in consumer protection collected via fitness trackers, compared to devices and systems governed by the rules governing privacy known as HIPAA.I was formerly the Chief Privacy Officer of ONC at the time, and worked on this report.Currently, neither Amazon, nor Apple, nor any other retail fitness tracker is required by federal law to maintain any particular privacy standard. (California residents may benefit, though, from the California Consumer Privacy Act.) This is an important point.

We all had to be impressed by the merger of Teladoc with Livongo in an $18.5 billion telehealth deal recently, but the road to overnight COVID-19 success has a lot more to the story. In partnership with Dallas Startup Week, I was able to sit down with Michael Gorton, Founder and Former CEO and Chairman of Teladoc, to talk through some of the early telehealth experiences he had at Teladoc.

This CURES Act Final Rule represents a significant change from the days of HL7. It has the promise of enabling patients to more securely retrieve and use their own medical records. This can fulfill the original intent and promise of HIPAA. However, for organizations to do so and not put patients at further risk, we need to evolve.

Benjamin notes that many health departments still share data by fax, which is more time-consuming than digital methods. A lack of funds also means that overburdened staff dont have enough time to analyse the data they have.

A digitally integrated patient intake form is a better workflow for everyone involved and more accurate since the patient can often complete the forms at home, at their speed, and with access to all the info they need to complete the forms.

Telemedicine provider Teladoc Health has reached an agreement to buy the diabetes coaching company Livongo in an $18.5 billion deal that will create the first true health tech giant in an era in which demand for virtual care is surging.The merger agreement, announced on Wednesday morning, is expected to create a combined company on track to bring in $1.3 billion in revenue this year, up 85% over last year. Jason Gorevic, Teladocs current CEO, will be the CEO of the newly combined company, which will be called Teladoc and will be based in New York. The transaction is expected to close by the end of this year, pending approval of regulators and shareholders.

As we reported previously, the HIMSS 2021 conference is officially being moved to August. It will still be held in Las Vegas at the Sands EXPO Center, but now shifted to the summer August 9-13, 2021. In a press briefing today, Hal Wolf, CEO of HIMSS mentioned that they have secured additional space to accommodate social distancing or other changes that may be needed.The obvious concern for August in Las Vegas is the heat. According to Vegas.com, the average high in August is a balmy 102F. This can make walking from place to place during HIMSS21 rather uncomfortable. Luckily several of the hotels are already connected via air conditioned walkways and more are being built.

Fax represents a large amount of data that is shared between hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, and other healthcare organizations. As we know, digital cloud fax is highly secure, flexible, and easy to use. For organizations that are sending and receiving Protected Health Information (PHI) and other confidential data, however, special precautions need to be taken, especially with regard to the use of mobile devices.

Diameter Health President John D’Amore discusses the ONC and CMS rulings and the future of interoperability in the U.S.

OCR Director Roger Severino agrees. In a statement on the Lifespan case, he put it simply:“Laptops, cellphones, and other mobile devices are stolen every day, thats the hard reality,” said Severino. “Covered entities can best protect their patients’ data by encrypting mobile devices to thwart identity thieves.”