Oracle Health and TransForm Shared Service Organization have collaborated to launch the Ontario eHub HIE, facilitating secure sharing of patient data among hospitals and care facilities in Ontario. Initially, 16 long-term care facilities and five hospitals will be integrated, enabling caregivers to access comprehensive patient information. The platform aims to streamline administrative processes, enhance patient care coordination, and eventually include all Ontario healthcare facilities and long-term care partners by the end of 2024. This initiative aligns with Ontario’s goal of creating an integrated healthcare system by implementing data exchange policies and standards, ultimately improving patient outcomes and healthcare coordination.

The U.S. Virgin Islands has signed a letter of intent with CRISP Shared Services to participate in a data and interoperability pilot program. The program aims to connect healthcare and services-related data collected by the government, improve identification and delivery of services, and enhance care for residents. The partnership will provide key information to healthcare professionals, agencies, and community organizations, leading to quicker decisions and improved treatments. The pilot phase will establish legal structures, data agreements, and integration milestones to create a fully operational Health Information Exchange (HIE). The U.S. Virgin Islands sees an opportunity for rapid modernization of its public health infrastructure through this initiative.

TrueCare, a community health center in North San Diego and Riverside Counties, aimed to enhance hypertension control among underserved patients. To achieve this, they implemented Rimidi’s remote patient monitoring (RPM) technology. Rimidi’s platform integrates with cellular-enabled blood pressure cuffs, enabling patients without constant WiFi or smartphones to utilize the technology. Additionally, the platform integrates with TrueCare’s EHR system. Collaborating with Rimidi, TrueCare designed the RPM program workflow, featuring personalized alert thresholds, automated messaging, and clinical decision support cards. Since its launch in January 2023, the program has enrolled 70 patients, with an average of 10 new patients per month. Thirty-four patients have successfully managed their blood pressure, and the program has also identified cases of white coat hypertension. TrueCare relies on grants and other sustainable models to support the RPM program.

Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to pass the Right to Health Bill, sparking calls for health rights to be constitutionalized in India. While the Indian Constitution obliges the state to provide healthcare via Directive Principles of State Policy, these are non-justiciable and non-enforceable. India’s government health expenditure falls short of the National Health Policy’s target of 2.5% of GDP, and out-of-pocket expenditure still accounts for nearly half of total health spending. The article recommends developing legally justiciable public health legislation, requiring significant government investment and stakeholder collaboration, to achieve SDG 3 of good health and well-being while protecting healthcare providers’ rights and considering social, political, and economic factors that impact health.

India’s Attorney General, R. Venkataramani, announced during a hearing challenging WhatsApp’s latest privacy policy that a new Data Protection Bill will be introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament in July 2023. The Bill will address the concerns raised in the present petitions. The Bench directed the registry to place the matter before the Hon’ble CJI to constitute a new Constitution Bench in August 2023. The Solicitor General informed the Bench that the Data Protection Bill introduced in Parliament had been withdrawn, and a comprehensive Bill was underway. The hearing was adjourned until February 2023, and WhatsApp was instructed to widely publicize that users in India do not have to accept its 2021 privacy policy to use it.