More than half of healthcare providers are out of compliance with HIPAA right of access requirements, with the most common failures revolving around a refusal to send records to patients or patients’ designees by email, according to a study and survey published by health manuscript archive company medRxiv.   In the telephone survey portion of the study, it was found that almost a quarter of respondents, 24%, were potentially noncompliant with HIPPA’s fee limitations.   […]

A set of regulatory changes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will affect optometric practices and clinics starting Aug. 21, according to the American Optometric Association.   Hazardous waste pharmaceutical (HWP) management standards will prohibit healthcare facilities from disposing of such wastes down the drain, AOA reports. The standards apply to all healthcare facilities, irrespective of size or waste generation.   The rules are intended to “reduce the environmental and human health risks associated with […]

The threat of workplace violence is a growing risk to businesses of all sizes across the United States. According to the National Safety Council, there were more than 18,000 reported cases of workplace assaults and 458 cases of workplace homicides in 2017, the latest year for which data is available.  That’s an average of 49 assaults and 1.3 homicides occurring in the workplace each day. Despite this, understanding the causes of workplace violence, assessing the […]

In many healthcare facilities, nurses are the employees with the most direct contact with patients. They are the ones holding a woman’s hand and providing emotional support during labor. They are the ones changing dressings and swapping out bedpans. They are the ones comforting family members during a loved one’s health battles. This also means they are often the target of patient violence. Healthcare employees, particularly nurses, are at an increased risk for workplace violence. […]

Late last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sought feedback from the healthcare community on a draft guideline, Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel: Infrastructure and Routine Practices for Occupational Infection Prevention and Control Services. Specifically, the CDC is looking to “facilitate the provision of occupational infection prevention and control services to healthcare personnel and to prevent transmission of infections between healthcare personnel and others.” The CDC is updating two sections addressing protocol […]

Among her many well-known quotes, Florence Nightingale gave us a simple but meaningful one that has resonated over the centuries: “For the sick it is important to have the best.” Then, as now, providing the best patient care calls for having the best nurses with the best training and the best staffing — also known as nurse staffing and patient safety. These three — along with advanced and continuing education, appropriate orientation and training, and good […]