Cybersecurity

HHS has still not addressed key cyber recommendations, GAO says

The Government Accountability Office said its unaddressed cyber guidance can result “in potential adverse impact on healthcare providers and patient care.”

Modernization

HHS to crack down on providers blocking access to electronic medical records

The Department of Health and Human Services has received more than a thousand claims of blocked or stymied access to electronic health record information in recent years.

Cybersecurity

New bill seeks to mandate healthcare cybersecurity standards

The proposed legislation, which has the backing of the Department of Health and Human Services, would require the health agency to set and enforce cybersecurity standards for healthcare providers, clearinghouses and other industry players.

Digital Government

ICE struggles to track unaccompanied minors, oversight report says

The agency lacks automated systems to chart the path of underage migrants through the immigration system.

Policy

HHS reorg seeks to streamline tech, cyber policy

A new assistant secretary post will consolidate management of technology, data, AI and health IT.

Artificial Intelligence

Data can be a double-edged sword in generative AI, agency experts say

Though there are myriad federal use cases for generative AI applications, usability hinges on clean, organized input data.

Digital Government

HHS launches online tool to identify communities hit hardest by extreme heat

The heat and health index tool provides zip code level data to flag neighborhoods that are the most at risk of experiencing harmful health outcomes as a result of high temperatures.

Digital Government

HHS issues final rule to expand HIPAA coverage for reproductive data

The rule comes in response to health data security concerns arising out of the 2022 overturn of abortion protections established by Roe v. Wade.

Cybersecurity

HHS removed Login from its grantee payment system after funding theft

Hackers used data from a federal contracting hub to steal funding from seven grantee organizations in an HHS breach that occurred last year. Both HHS and GSA say that Login.gov was not compromised or connected to the theft.

Cybersecurity

New bill would create payment incentives for the health sector to meet cyber standards

The measure led by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. comes in the wake of a ransomware attack on UnitedHealth subsidiary Change Healthcare.

Cybersecurity

Ransomware payment debate resurfaces amid Change Healthcare incident

Expert views don’t entirely align on whether victims should pay ransomware hackers.

Artificial Intelligence

Priming the workforce is key to future AI efforts, federal IT leaders say

One agency tech leader is urging IT workers inside government and out to "get into the shallow end of the AI swimming pool" and experiment with the new tools.

Cybersecurity

HHS seeks zero trust support

The highly federated agency is looking for contactor assistance to hit enterprisewide security goals.

Artificial Intelligence

What are agencies doing with AI? A bipartisan Senate duo wants to know.

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, sent letters to three federal agencies probing into their use of artificial intelligence systems.

Cybersecurity

CISA and HHS look to help the health sector ramp up cyber hygiene

Agency resources are intended to address the longstanding challenges health systems and hospitals have faced from increasingly advanced cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity

HHS looks to improve cybersecurity coordination

The agency is utilizing a relaunched cybersecurity coordination center and additional programs to significantly ramp up interactions with key partners, a top official said.

Cybersecurity

FTC, HHS warn of potential privacy and security risks embedded in online health sites

The agencies noted hospitals and telehealth providers could be exposing sensitive patient health information through online tracking tools like Meta Pixel and Google Analytics.

Artificial Intelligence

FDA Announces Contract for Automation in Drug Performance Analyses

The Food and Drug Administration is asking for proposals for automated devices that can provide high-definition imaging and critical analyses of drug performance as the agency works to integrate more AI.