In a recent article about digital health and wearables (read here), healthcare attorney Mysty Blagg from Shipman & Wright discusses the benefits and challenges of incorporating digital health and telehealth technologies in healthcare delivery. The article emphasizes the need for healthcare providers to embrace digital health solutions to enhance patient outcomes, streamline operations, and reduce costs. Digital health solutions, such as telehealth platforms and mobile health apps, have the potential to revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered by providing greater accessibility and convenience for patients.
Despite the benefits of digital health, the article also acknowledges that regulatory, legal, and technical hurdles must be addressed to ensure that digital health solutions are safe, effective, and compliant with applicable laws and regulations. For example, data privacy and security concerns must be carefully managed to prevent breaches that could jeopardize patient confidentiality. Additionally, healthcare providers must ensure digital health solutions comply with various regulatory frameworks, such as HIPAA, and provide appropriate informed consent and other patient protections.
To address these challenges, the article calls on healthcare providers to collaborate to develop and implement best practices for digital health solutions. This includes partnering with technology vendors, legal experts, and regulatory agencies to ensure digital health solutions meet the highest safety, quality, and compliance standards. It also involves investing in staff training and education to ensure healthcare providers can use digital health solutions effectively and safely.
The article highlights the enormous potential of digital health and telehealth technologies to transform healthcare delivery. By adopting digital health solutions, healthcare providers can enhance patient outcomes, reduce costs, and streamline operations. However, to fully realize these benefits, healthcare providers must also address the challenges and risks associated with digital health solutions. This requires a collaborative effort involving healthcare providers, technology vendors, legal experts, and regulatory agencies to ensure that digital health solutions are safe, effective, and compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
Attorney Mysty Blagg was quoted in the article saying, “the complex ownership schemes for some skilled nursing facilities and chains can put them under an “enforcement microscope … private equity and capable nursing facility ownership is an odd, potentially concerning relationship.
