EHR giants, IT layoffs and Apple's move into healthcare dominated reader interest this year.
Here are the 18 most-read health IT stories reported by Becker's Hospital Review during 2018, beginning with the most popular:
1. MD Anderson slapped with $4.3M penalty for HIPAA violations
An HHS administrative law judge upheld an HHS Office for Civil Rights finding requiring the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to pay $4,348,000 in civil penalties for HIPAA violations related to the organization's encryption policies, HHS confirmed in June.
2. Fairview CEO bashes Epic, calls for march on Madison
James Hereford, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, called Epic an "impediment to innovation" in January and told healthcare leaders they should exert more influence over the EHR giant.
3. Here's what physicians like most about Epic, Cerner and 8 other EHR vendors
While physicians often report dissatisfaction with EHRs — and 11 percent of acute facilities and 16 percent of ambulatory facilities plan to leave their current vendors — a Reaction Data survey sought to determine the reasons some physicians like their current platforms.
4. GE to spin off healthcare business
GE revealed plans to spin off its healthcare business into a standalone enterprise in June, concluding a yearlong strategic review of the company's operations and financial strength.
5. Northwestern lays off 60 IT workers after Epic EHR rollout
Northwestern Medicine laid off 60 IT staffers after it launched a new health records system in March.
6. Apple is hiring for its health business
In September, Apple said it was seeking an engineering manager to support its health business.
7. STAT: IBM Watson Health was crumbling long before layoff announcements
Internal competition and a disorganized operating structure have plagued IBM Watson Health since its inception in 2015, according to a STAT investigation.
8. UW Medicine allocates $180M to move to single EHR
The finance and asset management committee at Seattle-based UW Medicine approved a $180-million plan for a 30-monthslong endeavor to replace the health system's Cerner and Epic EHRs with a single, integrated platform.
9. Vandals cause thousands of dollars in damage to one of Epic's buildings
An empty building owned by Epic was broken into in April, and vandals caused thousands of dollars in damages.
10. Lawsuit: Apple under fire over its smartwatch's heart sensor
Omni MedSci, a health technology startup, alleged Apple infringed on four of its patents to develop the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor, according to a lawsuit filed in April.
11. Apple has quietly hired dozens of physicians
Apple has quietly hired dozens of physicians in the last few years, an indicator that it's serious about health tech.
12. Cerner President Zane Burke to step down
Cerner President Zane Burke stepped down from his post at the company in November.
13. Medical Center Health System CFO attributes hospital district's bond downgrade to Cerner issues
Leadership at Odessa, Texas-based Ector Hospital District, which does business as the Medical Center Health System, attributed a bond downgrade in March to costs associated with its EHR implementation.
14. Cerner to take over IT department at Texas hospital
Cerner will take over the IT department at Medical Center Health System in Odessa, Texas, under an agreement the Ector County Hospital District board of directors approved in August.
15. Laid-off IBM Watson Health workers call AI initiative a bust
Engineers who had been laid off from IBM Watson Health, the company's healthcare division rooted in artificial intelligence, said IBM's mission to make AI profitable is failing.
16. Cerner president blames unnamed competitor for 'fake news' about DOD's EHR rollout
In a shareholders meeting in May, Cerner's president suggested media reports disparaging its work for the U.S. Defense Department were "fake news" that may have involved "one of our competitors."
17. Epic halts 15-year HQ expansion as construction catches up to growing workforce
In July, construction hit a standstill at Epic's 1,100-acre headquarters in Verona, Wis., for the first time since 2003.
18. Cyberattack forces Indiana hospital to cancel elective surgeries, divert ambulances
Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., canceled all remaining elective surgeries Sept. 18 after its IT team discovered a computer virus.