New York health officials ran an unannounced exercise sending trained actors posing as H5 bird flu patients into regional healthcare facilities to test rapid identification and isolation protocols. Only 60 percent of facilities met basic benchmarks for masking and isolating the simulated patient, with many showing delays and inconsistent use of protective equipment, according to a report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-02
Epic, maker of the widely used MyChart patient records software, has paused most new product development for about six weeks to fix security vulnerabilities discovered during testing with Anthropic's Mythos cybersecurity model. CEO Judy Faulkner confirmed the pause to Modern Healthcare, and chief security officer Stirling Martin told the New York Times that some customer configurations could let outsiders access patient records without leaving any trace in system logs.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-02
Sidekick has introduced a desktop application that actively supports patients during telehealth consultations by explaining medical terminology and highlighting questions. After the appointment, it consolidates the conversation, questions, and next steps into a single accessible summary. A mobile version is planned for future release to support in-person and telehealth visits on smartphones.
openhand.health
· 2026-10-01
A commentary highlights how families affected by rare or genetic diseases often endure months or years of appointments, tests and referrals before receiving a diagnosis. It argues that once clinicians obtain a clear diagnosis, they can tailor treatment approaches and connect patients with appropriate specialists and resources.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-01
A profile highlights Eliezer Yudkowsky, the AI safety researcher known for warning that advanced artificial intelligence could pose existential risks to humanity. The report also touches on unrelated tech and consumer news, including upgrades to Apple's Siri and reader feedback on hospital patient portals.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-19
WSJ readers shared mixed reactions to patient portals, the online systems that give patients direct access to their medical records, test results and doctor communications. Supporters praised the convenience of having health information readily available, while critics said the same immediate access can cause confusion, anxiety or information overload.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-17
Doctors across the US are spending significant portions of short office visits piecing together patients' medical histories because electronic health records fail to consolidate data from hospitals, specialists, and rehab facilities. This administrative burden of chasing incomplete records and outdated medication lists is cited as a major driver of physician fatigue and burnout.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-14
France's data protection authority CNIL has fined Hôpital privé de la Loire €500,000 after a 2025 breach exposed data belonging to over 727,000 people, including more than 524,000 patients and roughly 202,000 people listed as trusted contacts. Investigators found the hospital allowed external users to log in without VPNs or multi-factor authentication, gave a single compromised account access to all patient records, and had no real-time monitoring to catch the intrusion as it unfolded over several days.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-09-03
McKesson, a major U.S. healthcare and pharmaceutical distributor, disclosed in an SEC filing that it discovered unauthorized access to third-party applications and data exfiltration on August 25, 2026. The extortion group ShinyHunters claims responsibility, alleging it stole 284 million patient records, though McKesson has not confirmed the scope or named the affected applications. The company says its investigation is ongoing and has not yet determined whether the incident is financially material.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-08-28
The widely cited treatise by Richard Cook argues that hazardous complex systems—like healthcare, aviation, and power generation—are inherently risky and are protected by multiple layers of technical, human, and organizational defenses. Catastrophic failure rarely stems from one cause; instead it emerges when several small, often latent failures align simultaneously to overwhelm those defenses. Most failure trajectories are stopped before they cascade, largely thanks to human operators catching problems in real time.
how.complexsystems.fail
· 2026-08-23
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