An app maker has landed in hot water with the feds -- have they been deceiving users? I’m Jeff Lagasse with Healthcare Finance News, and we’ll explore that and more in this week’s Top Stories.
Flo Health, maker of a period and fertility-tracking app, recently found itself in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission and has now settled with the FTC over an allegation that it improperly disclosed sensitive user data to third-party marketing and analytics services from Facebook, Google and others. MobiHealthNews reports (https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/fertility-app-flo-health-settles-ftc-over-sensitive-data-sharing-complaint) that the FTC listed several ways in which Flo deceives its users, including messaging to users saying it would not disclose certain information. Flo also allegedly violated international laws surrounding consumer protections for personal data transfer to third parties. In a statement, Flo said it’s cooperating fully with the FTC’s review.
Of course, the pandemic is still affecting nearly all facets of healthcare and daily American life, and this week the federal government said it’s no longer holding back doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the second booster shot needed for immunization. In Healthcare Finance News, (https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/federal-government-tells-states-not-hold-vaccine-reserve-second-dose) we see that there’s enough supply from manufacturers to get more people vaccinated while still ensuring that those who have received the first dose can get the second. And to ensure that vaccines aren’t sitting in freezers, Operation Warp Speed is opening up the next phase of vaccinations for those 65 and older, or those who are younger and have comorbid conditions. Nine million vaccines have been given to date.
Speaking of the vaccine, one of the biggest reasons behind the sluggish rollout has been a poor infrastructure for coordination and record keeping, and according to HealthcareITNews, (https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/epic-cerner-and-other-health-it-heavy-hitters-join-forces-vaccine-credential-initiative) a new coalition of healthcare and tech organizations are looking to change that. Cerner, Epic, Change Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, Microsoft and others are collaborating on a standard model for organizations administering vaccines, helping to create a reliable digital record. The goal is to leverage open and interoperable standards to ensure vaccinations and securely demonstrate patients' vaccine status to enable safer return to a new normal.
I’m Jeff Lagasse with Healthcare Finance News, and this has been Top Stories.