Digital Government
HHS Relaxes Data Security and Privacy Enforcement For COVID-19 Test Sites
The agency offered a list of suggested security measures but said it will not be imposing penalties in specific circumstances.
Artificial Intelligence
Agencies Lean Into Automation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Robotic process automation is accelerating across the National Institutes of Health, Internal Revenue Service and Housing and Urban Development Department.
Digital Government
Audit: HHS Not Maximizing Authorities to Recruit Scientists
The audit suggests the Health and Human Services Department should make use of the 21st Century Cures Act to recruit and retain more government scientists.
Modernization
Centers of Excellence Team With Another Health Agency Amid Pandemic
FDA became the fourth agency in 2020 to join the Centers of Excellence program; ninth overall.
Modernization
GSA to Partner with NIH in Centers of Excellence Initiative
One of the National Institutes of Health agencies will formulate and adopt a modernization strategy under the partnership.
Digital Government
House Lawmakers Press HHS Secretary for Details on Contact Tracing Programs
States are turning to smartphone apps and other digital tools that could compromise privacy, the lawmakers wrote.
Emerging Tech
NIH, FDA and VA 3D-Printing Collaboration Turns to Ventilator Parts
So far, about a dozen designs for personal protective gear have gotten the OK for clinical use.
Digital Government
Lawmakers Push CDC for New Demographic Data on Coronavirus Patients
A group of 17 lawmakers asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect sex, race, ethnicity and other information to spot potential inequities in health care.
Modernization
Mid-Pandemic, CDC Looks to Upgrade Its Biosurveillance Database
The system collects data from hospitals, local public health departments, pharmacies and more to give researchers and officials a view of how diseases spread across the country.
Digital Government
During Pandemic, CDC Aims to Hire Chief Data Officer
The agency is accepting applications through April 28.
Digital Government
Justice, HHS Redistribute More than 500,000 Pieces of Protective Gear Seized from Hoarder
Emergency medical supplies peddled by price gougers were redistributed to front line medical personnel in New York and New Jersey.
Emerging Tech
FDA, NIH, VA Partner to Accelerate 3D-Printed Protective Gear for COVID-19 Response
The pandemic-driven outcomes could demonstrate what strategic interagency efforts around emerging technology can catalyze in rapid timeframes.
Modernization
CMS Further Expands Telehealth Services for Medicare Recipients
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will temporarily expand telehealth options, including for new patients and audio-only appointments.
Modernization
Lawmaker Pushes CMS to Include Telehealth Services Through Telephone
Medicare recipients must use video-conferencing for remote visits with care providers.
Digital Government
Georgia Man Charged for Operating Fraudulent COVID-19 Testing Scheme
Federal prosecutors said the alleged scheme involved billing Medicare for reimbursable medical tests regardless of whether they were medically necessary.
Digital Government
Scammers Are Trying to Get Medicare Numbers, HHS Warns
The Health and Human Services Department warns that scammers are attempting to get real Medicare and Medicaid numbers to fraudulently bill the government.
Modernization
Agencies Have Spent More Than $300M In Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak
Federal buyers spent more than $4.8 million on hand sanitizer alone in the last two months.
Artificial Intelligence
CDC Launches COVID-19 Bot to Help You Decide If You Need to See a Doctor
The Coronavirus Self-Checker, a Microsoft-powered health care tool, was built to alleviate some of the initial screening strains health care providers are experiencing.
Cybersecurity
HHS Secretary: No Data Breach, No Degradation of Networks During ‘Enhanced Cyber Activity’
CISA is helping the health agency following reports of a cyberattack over the weekend.
Digital Government