TOP STORIES
The Government Accountability Office has found cybersecurity weaknesses in the health insurance websites of California, Kentucky and Vermont, making sensitive personal information vulnerable to hackers. Other state exchanges could have similar weaknesses. The report also found Healthcare.gov had 316 security incidents between October 2013 and March 2015, though none resulted in lost or stolen data. — Associated Press
LIFE SCIENCES
Intercept Pharmaceuticals cleared a milestone with an FDA advisory panel’s recommendation to approve its treatment for primary biliary cirrhosis –a rare liver condition. It also plans to seek approval for another indication for the drug to treat a more common liver disease — nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. — The Wall Street Journal
Focal Therapeutics has launched a new product that expands on its implant for breast conservation surgery. BioZorb LP expands the spectrum of surgical sites in which a bioabsorbable marker can be placed, particularly smaller breasts. By implanting the marker after tumor removal, it helps to delineate the surgical cavity for radiation treatment and long-term monitoring. — Business Wire
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
Hackensack University Medical Center has partnered with Uber to transport patients. It follows a similar agreement between the car service and MedStar Health earlier this year. — Healthcare IT
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Aetna is using financial incentives to get employees to sleep at least seven hours or more for 20 nights in a row to improve productivity. Employees also have to agree to wear an activity tracker. The maximum employees can earn is $500 a year. — Becker’s Hospital Review
Tenet Healthcare tumbled out of the S&P 500 after several months of poor financials that have cut its market capitalization by more than 50 percent since last July when it was $6 billion. — Modern Healthcare
Tenet has hired a chief compliance officer, Howard Hacker, who previously worked for Pfizer . — Business Wire
If this woman’s experience is anything to go by, improving the patient experience has a rocky road ahead of it. — The State
TECHNOLOGY
It’s a thin line between image sharing and sexting, some ethicists say, and that poses a risk for physicians. — The Guardian
Tampa General Hospital ditches pagers for Voalte. — PR Web
Beyond Lucid Technologies is pushing into Florida with a system that enables emergency responders and medical transport vehicle to transmit patient information to hospitals in real time and track those patients over time. — EMS World
POLITICS
Employees at 40 VA medical facilities in 19 states and Puerto Rico falsified veteran wait times. Investigators found supervisors oversaw the manipulation of wait times in Arkansas, California, Delaware, Illinois, New York, Texas and Vermont. — USA Today
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Genworth Financial developed a computer-controlled exoskeleton to mimic the effects of aging. It can be manipulated to debilitate joints, vision and hearing, create the effects of arthritis . — Reuters
Photo: BigStock Photos
