Medicare Advantage star ratings released; Security firm raises FIN12 ransomware attack concerns. Plus: Withings receivesan FDA clearance for Scan Watch’s ECG and SpO2 monitoring features .

Links to the stories:

See the rankings: More than 70 health plans earned 5 stars in Medicare Advantage star ratings

Cyber experts warn of 'aggressive' threat actor targeting healthcare

Withings scores FDA clearance for smartwatch ECG and SpO2 monitoring

Join Mobile Heartbeat Chief Operating Officer, Mike Detjen, as he uses his expertise to project future capabilities of the clinical collaboration space.

Lenovo will discuss what was learned by attending all the sessions at HIMSS.  They will offer their impressions and opinions for how Lenovo can best adapt and transform the way we got to market and productively enable our customers.  We want to be the number one technology provider that Healthcare leaders think about when making new technology decisions.

State licensure and differing regulations on privacy, licensure, and more have always been a barrier to virtual care models that seek to care for anyone with an Internet connection. Which of those hurdles have been overcome and which still remain? And how did COVID-19 and its associated waivers affect this complex issue?

On this episode of HIMSSCast, a tie-in to our Virtual Care Paradigm series, host Jonah Comstock welcomes Heather Alleva, an associate at Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney specializing in healthcare law, to get a rundown on some of these issues, including some little-known practice restriction. If you're thinking about starting a multi-state virtual care business, be sure to give this one a listen.

Talking points:

• How COVID affected licensure laws and what’s happening to them now
• How different state laws affect telehealth reimbursement
• How reimbursement affects adoption and investment
• Pros and cons of payment parity
• Telehealth licensure compacts and where they are today
• Limits and levers of federal government power
• How the government can lead by example
• How restrictions can hinder telehealth innovation
• Privacy and security legislative barriers
• The corporate practice of medicine prohibition
• Antitrust laws and health technology
• How to navigate the complexities of telehealth regulations

More about this episode:

Virtual care regulation: What's next (this episode's companion TV segment)

Now is the time for providers to be proactive about telehealth

22 states changed telemedicine laws during the pandemic

Report shows 'vast improvement' in state telehealth reimbursement policies

The prominent issues telehealth must tackle when the pandemic passes

Building an interstate regulatory framework for telemedicine

How a Supreme Court case about teeth whitening could bolster telemedicine interests (2015 throwback)

Cerner mandating COVID-19 vaccines for all U.S employees; SWORD Health acquires wearable firm Vigilant Technologies . Plus: Air ambulance services among commercial insurers have risen 27.6% .

Links to the stories:

Cerner announces vaccine mandate as Feinberg takes the reins

SWORD Health buys workplace health-focused wearable company Vigilant Technologies

Air ambulance charges rise 28% in four years, analysis finds

Digital transformation has increased exponentially in the healthcare industry over the past year, as organizations harness the power of digital to reach patients, accelerate research and develop new therapies to beat the global pandemic. Unfortunately, this digital transformation has been paired with an increasing cohort of highly capable cyber extortionists that have been using ransomware to compromise operations and hold patient data hostage to extract money from health organizations. As ransomware attacks become more rampant and advanced in our industry, the risk of an organization falling victim is more real than ever. In light of this reality, one question stands central for all of us: how do we make sure we are prepared to prevent and respond to a ransomware attack.

As Healthcare organizations explore how to evolve the care delivery model, they must consider how to safely evolve within an ever-increasing threat landscape. Modernizing Healthcare IT solutions provide great promise to improve Secure Care environments, but in order to ensure adoption and achieve maximum value, all stakeholders must be involved.

Join  Kevin Crosby, Dell Technologies Healthcare Director, Americas as he discusses how Healthcare IT can enable innovation and the evolution of the care delivery model, ultimately helping Healthcare providers provide better outcomes for the organization and their patients.

Walmart to begin rolling out Epic platform in its healthcare centers; 73% of metropolitan areas are controlled by large health insurers . Plus: Amazon adds to its fitness tracking line with Halo View.

Links to the stories:

Walmart Health announces partnership with Epic

AMA: Nearly three-quarters of metropolitan areas are concentrated health insurance markets

New Amazon Halo device and features compete against Fitbit, Apple Fitness+

TytoCare's Marcos Domiciano joins host Jonah Comstock for a discussion for the unique opportunities and challenges of telehealth in schools, and how TytoCare's approach to combining video visits with connected devices has proven a good fit for this area.

Talking points:

• TytoCare’s differentiator — telehealth plus remote examination tools
• Unique challenges to school-based telehealth
• How COVID-changed school-based telehealth
• Telehealth at universities vs grade schools
• Controlling the spread of COVID-19 at  universities
• Patient engagement through telehealth with students
• The components of the TytoCare virtual care kit
• Specific clinical use cases common in schools
• Efficacy data of TytoCare’s school-based efforts

More about this episode:

Expanding telehealth into schools proves effective to address children's health needs

How a remote Maine school union uses telehealth for a variety of needs

Schools turning to telehealth to improve care for the underserved

TytoCare raises an additional $50M for its oversubscribed Series D round

TytoCare, Prisma Health partner to expand telehealth services

In this new episode of the HIMSS21 Changemaker Podcast series, a HIMSSCast production, Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard speaks with Sue Feldman, RN, PhD, director of the graduate programs in health informatics at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

We chat about some of her projects at UAB before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the “Map it, Zap it” coronavirus symptom tracker she has helped develop, and the GuideSafe initiative she spearheaded with support of Alabama’s governor, which has helped maintain in-person learning at schools across the state.

We also discuss her ethos of “innovation, implementation and collaboration” and learn more about new health IT projects she’s working on as we seek a new normal beyond the public health emergency.

Earlier this year, HIMSS (parent company of Healthcare IT News) named the first recipients of the Changemakers in Health Awards, meant to recognize leaders worldwide who are harnessing information and technology toward better health outcomes. Check back in the weeks and months ahead for more podcast interviews with other healthcare leaders from this year’s list.

Themes and talking points in this Changemaker Podcast episode:

• The health and safety trackers developed and stood-up quickly at UAB in March 2020
• How those tools enabled safer reopening and face-to-face learning in Alabama schools
• Lessons learned and surprises from the COVID-19 pandemic
• Why it’s important to have a “We can do this!” approach to technology challenges
• How public health crises can spur lasting innovation
• How Feldman’s experience as a nurse shapes her IT and informatics work