Becker's Hospital Review

65 CIO / HEALTH IT CHS reaches settlement with 4.5M patients affected by data breach By Ayla Ellison F ranklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems reached a settlement, which must be approved by a judge, in a class-action lawsuit over a 2014 data breach that affected 4.5 million people. Four things to know: 1. CHS' computer network was the target of a cyberattack in April and June 2014. The company publicly announced the security in- cident in August 2014. 2. An investigation revealed hackers accessed CHS' computer net- work and stole information of patients who were referred for or received services from certain CHS-affiliated physician practices and clinics over a five-year period. Stolen data included names, ad- dresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and, in some cases, telephone numbers and the names of employers. 3. Several lawsuits related to the security incident were filed against CHS. The cases were consolidated in 2015 to streamline the legal process. 4. The settlement agreement, which was filed in December 2018, provides two types of payments to patients affected by the data breach. Each patient is entitled to up to $250 to cover time taken off work to deal with matters related to the security incident and out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of identity theft protec- tion services. Patients who experienced identity theft or fraud due to the security incident are entitled to up to $5,000. n Cerner to debut 'longitudinal patient records' by next year By Jessica Kim Cohen C erner demonstrated new interoperabili- ty capabilities it plans to roll out through 2020 during the HIMSS19 trade show in Orlando, Fla. By next year, Cerner plans to debut a longitudinal patient record that would offer clinicians access to an organized, structured view of a patient's medical data aggregated from multiple clinical sources. "We're working toward a future that enables a greater exchange of data," said Kashif Rathore, vice president of interoperability at Cerner. "When providers and patients can easily access health information and care communication is streamlined, it drives better outcomes." Other interoperability functions Cerner plans to roll out through next year include open stan- dards for edge development, data reconcili- ation and referral management. By the end of 2019, Cerner said it will release a service that allows multiple providers to collaborate on a single patient care plan. n Catholic Health invests $100M+ in move to Epic EHR By Anuja Vaidya B uffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health is planning to implement an Epic EHR system, investing more than $100 million in the project. e implementation will take around 18 months, and the health system plans to lease 20,000 square feet of space from Canisius Col- lege in Buffalo, where it will place around 150 team members to work on the implementation. e partnership with Canisius College will also include internship opportunities in IT, data an- alytics and healthcare, among others. Additionally, Catholic Health will recruit 40 new IT, clinical and business specialists for its 150-member implementation team. e health system spent over two years assess- ing EHR platforms before deciding on Epic to replace its current system. More than 1,000 Catholic Health employees, including physi- cians and nurses, participated in its selection. "We wanted this to be an inclusive process and Epic was the clear choice among our phy- sicians, nurses, and associates for its ease of use, functionality, and the integration it will give us across our system and for patients throughout the community," said Michael Galang, DO, senior vice president and CIO at Catholic Health. "ere is a reason the top hospitals and medical schools in the country use Epic, and we look forward to harness- ing this technology to attract the best medi- cal talent to our health system and give area patients another reason to choose Catholic Health to improve and manage their health." Epic is the most widely used EHR system in the country and deploying it across its five hospital campuses and other facilities will allow Catholic Health access to a library of analytics and best practices. It offers Cath- olic Health's clinicians an integrated, single source of patient information that can be shared easily across the system. Addition- ally, Catholic Health clinicians can share patient information with other Epic users across the country using its interoperability platform, Care Everywhere. Patients receiving care at Catholic Health will have access to Epic's MyChart patient portal, through which they can access their health data, schedule and cancel appointments, and get in touch with providers. n

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