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Drex examines The alarming rise of intimate deepfakes targeting primarily women and children, with 18 states currently offering no legal protection against these digital sex crimes. Various state legislative efforts including Montana's focus on combating political deepfakes, particularly within 60 days of elections; and OpenAI's first investment in cybersecurity through a $43 million funding round for Adaptive Security, a company specializing in training organizations to recognize deepfake attacks and phishing threats.

Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid 

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Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson explore Apple's reported development of an AI-powered health coach, potentially branded as "Quartz." They discuss how this technology would leverage Apple Watch and iPhone data to provide personalized health advice on sleep, activity, stress, and mental wellbeing. The hosts examine the implications for healthcare IT leaders, including privacy considerations with on-device AI processing, integration challenges with clinical workflows, and changing patient expectations.

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April 10, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble examine the proposed merger of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) with the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation to create the new Office of Strategy. They explore expert concerns about potential reductions in safety research and disruptions to quality initiatives, including AHRQ's goal to reduce patient and workforce harm by 50% by 2026.

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Drex covers three critical cybersecurity stories: Oracle's evolving response to two separate breaches affecting healthcare customers, with the company gradually changing its stance from denial to downplaying the significance of compromised data. Next Arizona-based Simon Med imaging practice facing multiple federal class action lawsuits after the Medusa cyber gang stole sensitive information from over 132,000 patients across seven states. Ukraine's innovative cyber warfare tactic of planting malware on drones that are captured by Russian forces, creating a cybersecurity trap when Russians attempt to study or reprogram the devices.

Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid 

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April 9, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss a class action lawsuit filed against Penn Medicine regarding its exclusive contract with Independence Blue Cross. The hosts explore how this exclusivity affects patient choice, healthcare access, and market competition in the Philadelphia region. The conversation highlights the growing national scrutiny of healthcare consolidation and encourages IT leaders to evaluate whether their partnerships and systems enhance or restrict patient choice.

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April 8. 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss critical strategies to address emergency department boarding, a significant patient safety concern. They explore key recommendations from the AHRQ summit, including public reporting standards, real-time regional bed tracking systems, payment incentives, and alternatives for psychiatric patients.

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April 7, 2025: Drex DeFord joins Bill Russell for the news. As Oracle faces scrutiny over a potential security breach affecting their cloud infrastructure, how should healthcare organizations respond when transparency is lacking from major vendors? The conversation then tackles the VMware price shock that's disrupting IT budgets across healthcare, prompting leaders to consider: when is the right time to escape vendor lock-in, and what hidden costs lurk behind seemingly simple transitions? Throughout the episode, Bill and Drex share candid insights on CIO career dynamics, challenging listeners to reflect on what truly defines success in healthcare IT leadership beyond mere longevity.

Key Points:

• 00:40 Oracle Cloud Breach Questions
• 04:53 Google Health AI Updates
• 10:46 VMware Price Shock Series
• 15:34 CIO Career Moves and Leadership Insights
• 24:21 Future of Healthcare Software

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

April 7, 2025: Drex DeFord joins Bill Russell for the news. As Oracle faces scrutiny over a potential security breach affecting their cloud infrastructure, how should healthcare organizations respond when transparency is lacking from major vendors? The conversation then tackles the VMware price shock that's disrupting IT budgets across healthcare, prompting leaders to consider: when is the right time to escape vendor lock-in, and what hidden costs lurk behind seemingly simple transitions? Throughout the episode, Bill and Drex share candid insights on CIO career dynamics, challenging listeners to reflect on what truly defines success in healthcare IT leadership beyond mere longevity.

Key Points:

1. 00:40 Oracle Cloud Breach Questions
2. 04:53 Google Health AI Updates
3. 10:46 VMware Price Shock Series
4. 15:34 CIO Career Moves and Leadership Insights
5. 24:21 Future of Healthcare Software

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Class action lawsuits have been filed against Oracle in Texas following recent cyber incidents, with lawyers alleging poor security framework, inadequate staff training, and failure to implement preventative software. The Health Sector Coordinating Council's cybersecurity working group testified to Congress about medical device security and the suspended HIPAA security rule update, citing unrealistic cost estimates and implementation challenges. Additionally, critical zero-day vulnerabilities in Apple devices require immediate updates, plus a warning about a GPS app with 320,000 downloads that could allow stalkers to steal location data in real time.

Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid 

X: This Week Health 

LinkedIn: This Week Health 

Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer