Chargemasters recently posted online by hospitals as required by the Trump administration may be difficult for patients to decipher and use, but putting a spotlight on the information is an important first step toward transparency, writes Kaiser Health News Editor-in-Chief Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal. The information could easily be made more accessible and useful by tech innovators, hospitals may think twice about raising prices far beyond what a competitor charges, and patients and the administration will continue to demand more and better information, Rosenthal writes.
⋅ PRWeek
McDonald's doesn't care about the competition's social media burns, at least not publicly, says executive Jano Cabrera. "The nature of leadership brands is you get to a point where you understand real ROI is being mindful of and responsive to competition, but you don't stay a leadership brand by simply responding to competition," he says.
Researchers studying global learning have identified four models that schools have in place for global education. They include a top-down approach in North Carolina, where the state adopted a framework and method of assessment, and a more localized approach in Virginia, where individual districts are leading the charge.
⋅ Quartz
"Fortnite" players can purchase currency to use in the popular video game, and cybersecurity firm Sixgill has reported the V-bucks are now being used to launder money from stolen credit cards. Hackers purchase the digital currency in a "Fortnite" account and sell it through either legal and illegal vendor sites.
Walmart will team with Point Pickup, Skipcart, AxleHire and Roadie to grow its grocery delivery service in four states, as part of the retailer's ongoing efforts to bring grocery delivery to 1,600 stores. The company offers delivery from 800 stores with partners including Postmates, Deliv and DoorDash.
Health care providers are advised to watch out for a possible vulnerability in earlier versions of Kubernetes application programming interface servers and to be aware of the growing popularity of cryptomining this year, states the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's Healthcare and Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Report. Rounding out the list are the continuing threats of phishing attacks and weak passwords, leaving health care organizations vulnerable to cyberthreats, such as password spray attacks.
Agencies including MullenLowe's Mediahub, Dentsu Aegis Network, RPA and Horizon Media have impression guarantees with Hulu and Roku that include connected TV co-viewing metrics in the latest upfront deals, writes Tim Peterson. He explores how counting co-viewing metrics is affecting the connected TV industry, such as by increasing supply, lowering ad prices and raising concerns about how co-views are measured.
IKEA is exploring options for sourcing alternative fabrics in India in addition to the cotton it already buys there, executive Sandeep Saran said. The retailer is testing fabric made from PET bottles and also could try textiles made from banana, jute and bamboo.
Samsung may release three versions of its upcoming Galaxy S10 phone, based on an image leaked by an industry insider. The three versions could include the Galaxy S10, the Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy S10E, and they may include fingerprint sensors embedded in the screen and hole-punch cameras for selfies.
The FDA has warned e-cigarette companies they may face an "existential threat" if they do not stop marketing their products to youths. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said this could include being banned from selling any products that lack a premarket tobacco authorization.
Artificial intelligence will be implemented in networks, industrial applications, services and virtualization in the coming year, analysts say. It will also play a part in 5G cellular communications, the internet of things and expanding bandwidth for video streaming, they note.
Construction is booming in Atlanta, with a record $5.6 billion in construction permits issued in 2018. Permits grew from roughly $930 million in 2011 to more than $4.6 billion in 2017, covering public transit, apartments, office towers and more.
⋅ Reuters
A survey conducted by DNV GL revealed that 70% of 791 senior industry professionals polled expect their firms to maintain or increase capital expenditure budgets this year, up from 39% just two years ago. Liv Hovem, who leads DNV's oil and gas division, says the survey results demonstrate that the industry is more confident in its ability to weather market volatility and adapt to lengthy periods of low prices.
SpaceX took one step closer to a manned mission as the company raised a Falcon 9 rocket with its Crew Dragon capsule into position at its Florida launchpad. A test flight anticipated within about a month and the Crew Dragon will eventually take astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
JetBlue Airways will add flights from Boston to Atlanta during Super Bowl weekend. The added flights and use of larger aircraft on its regular service will increase JetBlue's Super Bowl-bound capacity from Boston by 70%.