Scripps Health spent much of May dealing with a network shutdown, and now it faces legal issues. I’m Jeff Lagasse with Healthcare Finance News, and we’ll put that story and others under the microscope in this week’s Top Stories.
Multiple class-action lawsuits have been filed in state and federal court against Scripps Health following a ransomware attack that took down its network in May. HealthcareITNews reports (https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/scripps-health-hit-class-action-suits-after-ransomware-attack) that the cases, four in total, make the claim that Scripps failed to protect patient information and left patients open to potential identity theft and medical fraud. Scripps began sending letters on June 1 to more than 147,000 of its customers warning them that their personal information may have been at risk. The data potentially included addresses, dates of birth, health insurance information, medical record numbers, patient account numbers and clinical information. The health system could face hefty damages, depending on how the cases proceed.
Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is creating a new accelerator aimed at the digital health space that will give 10 startups operating in the U.S. a four-week crash course in technical training and business development, and includes a mentorship component. As we see in MobiHealthNews, (https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/aws-looks-digital-health-new-accelerator) AWS Healthcare Accelerator's first cohort will be done in partnership with KidsX, a pediatric-focused digital health incubator that launched in September of 2020. However, the new AWS accelerator does not have a pediatric focus, and companies in the accelerator program can cater to any patient population. The accelerator will be looking for companies that "improve patient care, better health outcomes, and lower cost of care." Applications are currently open and close on July 23.
Finally this week, five nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans have stepped forward to create a new independent, for-profit pharmacy solutions startup called Evio. According to Healthcare Finance News (https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/five-blues-plans-launch-evio-profit-company-focused-lowering-drug-prices), the goal of the new organization is to improve medication affordability, as well as patients' clinical outcomes and medication experiences. Initially, Evio will offer services to each of the five investor health plans to complement other medication services those plans offer. The plans in question provide coverage to more than 20 million members in total across the U.S.
I’m Jeff Lagasse with Healthcare Finance News, and this has been Top Stories.