by medicaltechont | Apr 19, 2014 | Cloud, e-Health, eHealth, Security, Software
By Nicole Perlroth
The Heartbleed bug that made news last week drew attention to one of the least understood elements of the Internet: Much of the invisible backbone of websites from Google to Amazon to the FBI built by volunteer programmers in what is known as the open-source community. Heartbleed originated in this community, in which these volunteers, connected over the Internet, work together to build free software, to maintain.
wasWhat makes Heartbleed so dangerous, security experts say, is the so-called OpenSSL code it compromised. That code is just one of many maintained by the open-source community. But it plays a critical role in making our computers and mobile devices safe to use.
“This bug was introduced two years ago, and yet nobody took the time to notice it,” said Steven M. Bellovin, a computer science professor at Columbia University. “Everybody’s job is not anybody’s job.”
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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/33958360.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
by medicaltechont | Apr 9, 2014 | Cloud, e-Health, EHR, Healthcare
New Brunswick has moved “from almost the worst in the country to near the front of the pack” for electronic medical record adoption, says the president of the New Brunswick Medical Society.
Dr. Lynn Hansen says 357 doctors out of the eligible 950 enrolled in the provincial program by this week’s deadline for federal funds.
Hundreds of thousands of New Brunswick patients will soon have digitized records, improving the efficiency and productivity of physician offices, she said in a statement on Thursday.
The e-record program will save the health care system money through better referral processes, fewer missed appointments and faster access to test results, said Hansen.
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by medicaltechont | Mar 16, 2014 | Cloud, e-Health, EHR, Healthcare, Technology
N.B. Medical Society facing criticism from members about patient record software. The New Brunswick Medical Society is finding itself on the defensive against criticism from its own members who are questioning its handling of a new electronic medical record (EMR) program. Launched in partnership with the private information technology company Accreon, the software is sold under the business name Velante.
Only 240 of 950 eligible doctors have signed up for Velante, one month ahead of the March 31 deadline to receive government subsidies.
But, according to Health Minister Ted Flemming, only 34 doctors are currently using it.
‘We feel we’ve been pushed aside.’
– Dr. Sarah Charlebois
Many doctors, such as Dr. Sarah Charlebois, an Oromocto family physician, are using other systems.
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by medicaltechont | Jan 2, 2014 | Cloud, e-Health, eHealth, Ontario, Privacy, Technology
We are using the cloud more and more. As Internet connections get faster and more reliable, the convenience of having all our data available on all our devices becomes ever more attractive.
However, there are disadvantages to using cloud services, particularly the free of charge ones that still have to make a profit somehow. There are many valid, albeit scary, questions you’ll want to mull over before trusting a third party to keep your data safe and we’ve listed them below.
The answers, as you will discover, in this feature are generally not what you want to hear:
- Privacy – is your data stored or is it being mined for advertising and marketing purposes?
- Reliability – can you be certain that the service you’re using will always be available? What guarantees do you have regarding the safety of your data and is there anything you can do to improve this?
- Security – is your data encrypted? Who has access to the encryption keys? Could your data be hacked or stolen?
- Continuity – Can the cloud provider suspend or cancel your account, possibly even losing all your data, for any reason?
- Performance – Is your Internet connection fast enough to use the services you want without delays?
- Copyright – who owns the content you upload? Can your photos be sold or published without your consent?
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by medicaltechont | Oct 8, 2013 | e-Health, eHealth
After more than a decade of hard work and collaboration, digital health is making treatment safer, more efficient, and, ultimately, better for Canadians.
Consider the following:
Use of electronic medical records (EMR) in community-based practices in Canada has yielded efficiency and patient care benefits valued at $1.3-billion since 2006.
Drug information systems reduce prescription errors and result in fewer adverse drug events with annual estimated benefits of $475-million.
Tele-health saved patients over 47 million kilometres in travel and $70-million in personal travel costs in 2010 alone.
Through investment with our jurisdictional partners, Canada Health Infoway has already established the foundational requirements for securely capturing, storing, sharing, accessing and managing health information. And while every province and territory is at a different stage of development, they are all working on these foundational elements according to their local priorities and needs.
Canadian consumers are comfortable with digital tools and are global leaders in the adoption and use of information technologies such as social media, online shopping and digital banking. Coupled with a growing desire to manage our wellness and to take on more active roles in the management of our chronic diseases, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in our digital health journey.
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by medicaltechont | Oct 5, 2013 | e-Health, Software, Technology
The computer software company Adobe has been hacked, potentially compromising the data of 2.9 million customers, the company revealed on Thursday.
Adobe said “sophisticated attacks” had been carried out “very recently”.
“Our investigation currently indicates that the attackers accessed Adobe customer IDs and encrypted passwords on our systems,” said Brad Arkin, chief security officer at Adobe.
“We also believe the attackers removed from our systems certain information relating to 2.9 million Adobe customers, including customer names, encrypted credit or debit card numbers, expiration dates, and other information relating to customer orders.”
Arkin said he did not believe the attackers had removed decrypted credit or debit card numbers from its systems.
“We deeply regret that this incident occurred,” he said. Arkin did not specify the level of encryption of the data stolen.
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