Samwise Healthcare IT Newsletter
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
AnMed Discloses 10 Facilities Still Closed Ten Days After July Cyberattack
Ten days after malware disrupted its IT systems on July 26, Anderson, S.C.-based AnMed disclosed in an Aug. 3 notice that 10 of its facilities remain closed, including imaging and laboratory service locations. The cyberattack knocked out internet, phone lines, and network access system-wide across South Carolina and Georgia, initially forcing roughly 79 of AnMed’s 106 locations to temporarily close by July 27. The nonprofit health system serves upstate South Carolina and northeast Georgia. A forensic investigation remains ongoing, and AnMed has not confirmed whether patient data was compromised during the breach.
Sources: Becker’s Hospital Review
AnMed Warns Patients of Payment Scam Messages After Ransomware Attack
AnMed Health, a nonprofit health system serving upstate South Carolina and northeast Georgia, is warning patients about potential payment scam messages tied to the ransomware attack that disrupted its IT systems on July 26. Following the breach, some patients reported receiving direct outreach requesting payment setup. AnMed is relying on call services to help organize patient care during its ongoing recovery and restoration effort. The health system urged patients to exercise caution with unsolicited payment communications and to verify contacts through official channels. A forensic investigation into the incident remains ongoing, and AnMed has not confirmed whether patient data was compromised.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Senate Health Committee Advances Health Information Privacy Reform Act in Unanimous Vote
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee voted 22-0 to advance the Health Information Privacy Reform Act, sending the bill to the full Senate. Introduced by committee chair Sen. Bill Cassidy, the legislation would require organizations that receive protected health information through a patient’s HIPAA right of access to notify patients that the data will no longer carry HIPAA protections, and to obtain patient authorization before selling that information to third parties. The bill’s advancement comes as federal regulators are expected this month to finalize a separate rule modifying the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
Sources: GovInfoSecurity
Hackensack Meridian Health First to Earn Joint Commission’s Responsible AI Certification
Hackensack Meridian Health has become the first organization to earn the Joint Commission’s certification for responsible AI use in healthcare. The Joint Commission launched the certification in June to endorse U.S. healthcare organizations that demonstrate responsible AI governance. The certification spans five domains: governance, risk and bias reduction, data management, monitoring and validating safety and effectiveness, and education and training. The process took Hackensack Meridian three weeks, though its internal AI governance framework has been in place for four years. A Wolters Kluwer report found that just 27% of clinicians know how their organizations are addressing AI governance.
Sources: Healthcare Dive
Health Systems Increasingly Appointing Chief AI Officers to Govern Clinical Use
Hospitals and health systems are increasingly appointing chief AI officers or equivalent senior executives as artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in healthcare delivery, according to a Becker’s tracking list updated Aug. 4. Among the institutions named: Mayo Clinic has appointed Micky Tripathi, PhD, as chief AI implementation officer; UCSF Health named Sara Murray, MD, as chief health AI officer; and Cleveland Clinic named Ben Shahshahani, PhD, as its first vice president and chief artificial intelligence officer. The Becker’s list tracks 18 named health systems that have established dedicated AI leadership positions, reflecting a broader industry push to formalize AI governance structures.
Sources: Becker’s Hospital Review
Healthcare Leaders Look Beyond GenAI to Physical AI as Next Frontier
Healthcare leaders are turning their attention to physical AI — systems capable of perceiving, reasoning, and acting in the real world — as the technology’s next frontier beyond generative and agentic AI. In a new Healthcare IT News series, executives from Northwell Health, Nvidia, and Expper Technologies discuss how hospitals should prepare for physical AI integration. Davit Martirosyan of Expper Technologies, maker of Robin the Robot, described how physical AI can advance patient engagement and care delivery by operating autonomously within clinical environments. The series examines what adoption of physical AI could mean for hospital workflows, infrastructure needs, and patient interaction.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
UC Davis Health Expands Rural Kidney Care via Telenephrology Partnership
Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health is expanding specialty kidney care access in rural Mendocino County through a telenephrology partnership with Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, a 50-bed hospital in Ukiah, Calif. The program connects UC Davis nephrologists in Sacramento with patients and local clinicians at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley through real-time video consultations. Since the partnership launched in 2021, it has supported more than 1,000 dialysis treatments. UC Davis Health described the program as part of its broader telehealth network, which now connects more than 200 clinics and hospitals across a 33-county region.
Sources: Becker’s Hospital Review
California Health Plan Uses AI Agent to Boost Medi-Cal Renewal Rates
Kern Family Health Care, the largest provider of Medi-Cal services in Kern County, is using an AI agent called Angelica to boost health insurance re-enrollment among Medi-Cal members. Developed by San Francisco startup Careforce, the software — for which Kern Family has spent approximately $370,000 — reaches members in their preferred language and helps them schedule appointments with staff who ensure renewal applications are completed correctly. Kern Family’s Medi-Cal renewal rate in April reached 94.9%, according to KFF Health News. Careforce CEO Huzaifa Sial said Kern Family is one of a few health insurers using the company’s software, which is also deployed by the Central California Alliance for Health.
Sources: KFF Health News
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