Healthcare workers endured truly extenuating circumstances this past year, from personal protective equipment shortages to makeshift morgues, and the toll on their wellbeing is gradually becoming clear. In November 2020, a Yale School of Public Health survey of workers at 25 U.S. medical centers found that nearly a quarter of the 1,132 respondents had probable post-traumatic stress disorder.

Things have never been easy in healthcare, a massive industry full of complexities, but hospitals and health systems have been forced to make especially difficult decisions in the past 14 months. From suspending non-urgent procedures, to laying off employees or closing altogether amid financial strain, and in some cases, turning away patients, the choices thrust upon healthcare leaders during the pandemic were ones no one could have anticipated. 

As the pandemic wreaked havoc on the healthcare industry, the number of U.S. patient records breached by hospital insiders more than doubled in 2020, surpassing a staggering 8.5 million, according to the recently published Protenus Breach Barometer®. 

Our mission at Protenus is to advance the science of healthcare by bringing together creative and skilled individuals who are passionate about the security, usability, and applicability of health data. As this information becomes more voluminous, comprehensive, and, as a consequence, more vulnerable, we are building scalable, insightful solutions that address critical issues preventing the efficient, safe, and effective delivery of patient care. 

Providence Ventures, a $300 million Venture Capital fund that invests on behalf of Providence St. Joseph Health, has been closely watching the emergence of artificial intelligence in healthcare technology for years; the potential applications are innumerable.