09 Dec Health Data News Roundup: Nurses and SDOH; National Patient Identifier System; and 2020 HIT Disruptors

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Roundup from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

Supporting Nurses to Address the Social Determinants of Health
According to a recent American Journal of Nursing article, nurses need access to adequate education, ample care team members, and community-based resources to address the social determinants of health.

The Pros and Cons of a National Patient Identifier (NPI) System
Congress recently voted to lift the ban of funding for a national patient identifier (NPI) system, giving the system new life and potential in the near future.

Employers Seek the Best Healthcare Benefits, Prefer HMOs and PPOs
As more employers seek to offer the best healthcare benefits to their employees, they are focusing on quality and a diverse set of plans, which tends to lead them toward HMOs and PPOs, according to a new survey.

$500K Grant to Support Health Information Exchange for Pop Health
Wayne State University has received a $500,000 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to implement the Population Health Outcomes and Information Exchange (PHOENIX) platform, which will function as a health information exchange (HIE) of sorts by collecting population health data to determine how community factors may be contributing to health concerns.

Mayo Clinic Taps Boston Health Tech Leader To Guide Data Strategy
The Mayo Clinic recently announced it has hired Dr. John Halamka — a Harvard professor and hospital IT veteran — to guide its efforts to apply artificial intelligence to vast stores of data from patients and devices.

Top 8 Predictions That Will Disrupt Healthcare in 2020
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) analytics platforms will gain traction next year, according to the Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 healthcare disruptor predictions.