Just like any other Friday at 1:45am, Adam Landman was fast asleep on July 19.

But unlike any other Friday morning, Mass General Brigham (MGB)’s chief information officer was woken up by a phone call about the last thing someone with his title wants to hear: a cyber outage.

Landman said at first he thought the issue was a malicious attack after cartoon characters popped up on displays. But he soon discovered it was the CrowdStrike outage, a major cyber shutdown caused by a Microsoft update that impacted many different industries.

Healthcare Brew reported that day how MGB had canceled elective procedures and ambulatory care at its facilities. The hospital’s electronic medical records system, Epic, could also only be used in read-only mode, forcing staff to manually document care on paper. By Sunday, most of MGB’s systems were back up and running.

Landman spoke with Healthcare Brew about MGB’s weekend recovering from the CrowdStrike outage.

Keep reading here.—CM

Reminder! CMS Star Ratings come out in October—sooo in just a few weeks.

What is a Star Rating? It’s used to measure the quality of services received by Medicare members. This impacts the amount of reimbursement dollars health plans receive as a result.

To improve these ever-so-relevant Star Ratings, it’s crucial to ensure that patients are receiving the recommended preventive care.

To dig deeper into this pressing topic, LetsGetChecked’s e-book covers the hurdles health plans face in closing gaps in preventive care. It offers strategies and solutions (like LetsGetChecked’s at-home healthcare programs) for elevating a plan’s ability to achieve quality benchmarks and positive member outcomes.

Grab a free copy to learn more.

While most Apple megafans are freaking out about the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro, we’ve got our eyes—and ears—on a new software update.

On Thursday, the FDA gave marketing authorization to an Apple feature that will allow users with mild to moderate hearing loss to turn their AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids. The AirPods will automatically adjust sounds around a user based on the results of their individual hearing profile, according to a September 9 Apple press release.

Though the FDA approved over-the-counter hearing aids in October 2022, this is the first time the agency has approved an over-the-counter software for hearing loss.

“Today’s marketing authorization of an over-the-counter hearing aid software on a widely used consumer audio product is another step that advances the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of hearing support for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss,” Michelle Tarver, acting director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in the release.

Keep reading here.—CC

Conversations about menopause often circulate around the same symptoms like hot flashes and headaches. But did you know that it also affects oral health?

If you answered no, you aren’t alone: Nearly 50% of respondents in a newly published survey from insurer Delta Dental didn’t know either.

The Oral Health and Menopause survey, published on September 9, found that 48% of women over 40 didn’t know there was a connection between menopause, oral health, and heart health.

A decline in estrogen levels can make salivary glands produce less saliva, which in turn can increase the risk of cavities, gum disease, and oral infections, according to Delta Dental. Lower estrogen levels can also weaken bones in the jaw and lead to tooth loss.

The study found that 35% of women over 40 reported “a decline in their oral health,” but only 18% of respondents have spoken with a dental professional about the impact menopause can have on their oral health.

Keep reading here.—CM