IHA Daily Briefing: April 12
In Today’s Issue
HC3 Advisories: Top 10 Ransomware Groups, Recommended Mitigations
Recall: Teleflex/Arrow International Catheterization Kits
CDC Launches Updated Public Health Strategy
FDA Authorizes 1st AI Sepsis Diagnostic Tool
Drug Shortages Reach All-Time High
COVID-19 Information
Briefly Noted
Leading the News
HC3 Advisory: Top 10 Ransomware Groups
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) recently released a report identifying the top 10 ransomware groups targeting the healthcare sector. HC3 found that of the 730 recorded attacks on the healthcare and public health sector worldwide, more than 530 incidents occurred in the U.S. healthcare sector. Ransomware gang LockBit 3.0 was listed as the ransomware group most frequently targeting the healthcare sector.
HC3 also recently released a sector alert outlining mitigations to protect against advanced social engineering attacks targeting IT help desks in the healthcare sector. The mitigations involve user awareness training, as well as policies and procedures for increased security for identity verification with help desk requests.
Recall: Teleflex/Arrow International Catheterization Kits
Teleflex, and its subsidiary Arrow International, are recalling the ARROW QuickFlash Radial Artery and Radial Artery/Arterial Line Catheterization Kits after receiving reports of increased resistance in the guidewire handle and chamber during use. The Food and Drug Administration recall notice said the issue may cause serious injury, including injury to blood vessel walls, narrowing of the blood vessels, artery blockage or death. There have been 194 complaints, 10 injuries and one death reported related to this issue.
CDC Launches Updated Public Health Strategy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday launched its updated strategy to improve data exchange between healthcare organizations and public health authorities to facilitate more seamless sharing of data and more quickly detect and respond to new threats. The strategy calls for using the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement to enable faster sharing of data between healthcare and public health; expanding core data sources to detect and monitor threats, including wastewater, hospitalization and hospital bed capacity; and prioritizing data to address health disparities and promote health equity.
FDA Authorizes 1st AI Sepsis Diagnostic Tool
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the first artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic and predictive tool for early sepsis detection, according to AI intelligence company Prenosis. Prenosis said its Sepsis ImmunoScore aids in the risk assessment for presence of or progression to sepsis within 24 hours of patient assessment in the emergency department or hospital. The system evaluates the patient’s biological status to output a risk score, identifying risk categories that correlate to a patient’s risk of deterioration, represented by length of stay in the hospital, in-hospital mortality and escalation of care within 24 hours.
Sepsis, which occurs when a person has an overactive response to an infection, costs the U.S. healthcare system billions of dollars and kills millions of people every year—more than all cancers combined. Even if someone with sepsis survives an episode, the disease can have catastrophic and often permanent consequences on their quality of life after discharge. Despite the devastating impact, no AI diagnostic for sepsis had previously received marketing authorization from the FDA until now.
ASHP: Drug Shortages Reach All-Time High
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) reported this week that the number of ongoing drug shortages in the U.S. is at its highest since 2014. During the first quarter of 2024, ASHP and its partner, the University of Utah Drug Information Service, tracked 323 active shortages. This is an all-time high, surpassing the previous record of 320 shortages in 2014. ASHP said that some of the most worrying shortages involve generic sterile injectable medications, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedural areas. The organization also noted that ongoing national shortages of therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder also remain a serious challenge for clinicians and patients.
COVID-19 Information
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) has launched a weekly Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard that will be updated weekly on Friday. This report provides the public with the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data.
Click here to visit the IDPH COVID-19 resources webpage. IDPH will continue to report the weekly number of people with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals from emergency departments, deaths and vaccinations, with COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information also reported through the dashboard of the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System.
Briefly Noted
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report noted that 97% of U.S. measles cases since 2020 have occurred in the first quarter of this year. The CDC has confirmed 113 cases in 2024 to date, compared to 58 cases detected last year. The CDC said 91% of the patients were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, and underscored that the rise in cases threatens the nation’s status as a country where the virus is eliminated.
Healthcare workers rally in capital for better working conditions
WAND reported (4/11) that, “On Thursday, dozens of healthcare workers met at the capital to advocate for the Hospital Worker Safety Bill (SB 3424/HB 5320). This bill would establish a set process for workers to voice concerns over unsafe working conditions, and hold hospital management accountable for responding to concerns.”
29 physician specialties ranked by annual compensation
Becker’s Hospital Review reported (4/12) that, “On average, U.S. physicians’ total annual compensation grew by about 3% from 2022 ($352,000) to 2023 ($363,000), with specialized physicians earning more than $100,000 higher on average than primary care physicians.”
The 8 a.m. meeting debate: 5 health systems weigh in
Becker’s Hospital Review reported (4/11) that, “Flexibility is currency in today’s talent market. As companies lean into work-life balance, pre-pandemic meeting practices have been called into question.”