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Did EMS Worker Commit HIPAA Violation With Facebook Post?

June 5, 2018

This post, Did EMS Worker Commit HIPAA Violation With Facebook Post?, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com. Did an emergency medical services (EMS) worker in Roane County, Tennessee, commit a HIPAA violation with a Facebook post that described the peculiar location of an emergency response—a chicken coop? The EMS worker was part of a team that responded to a call about Leon Raymond, who had suffered a heart attack in his chicken coop. “The first responders arrived and started […]

When medical devices get hacked, hospitals often don’t know it

May 16, 2018

This post, When medical devices get hacked, hospitals often don’t know it, first appeared on http://www.healthcareitnews.com/. The threat to medical devices is real and happening now – and it’s a patient safety issue, much more than one of HIPAA compliance. The past three months have seen a record high in medical device recalls, increasing 126 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from last year, according to the Stericycle Recall Index. The biggest culprit was software, […]

7k patients file HIPAA violations in the past 5 years: 5 things to know

May 16, 2018

This post, 7k patients file HIPAA violations in the past 5 years: 5 things to know, first appeared on https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/. There have been almost 7,100 patient and employee complaints of HIPAA violations in the past five years, which have forced organizations to change their operations and pay substantial fines, according to an analysis by Health Information Privacy/Security Alert. Health Information Privacy/Security Alert reviewed HHS Office for Civil Rights reports and enforcement actions from Jan. 1, […]

The HIPAA Security Rule allows healthcare providers to secure PHI while still adopting new technologies to improve patient care.

What Healthcare Providers Must Know About the New HIPAA Security Rule

April 3, 2018

This post, What Healthcare Providers Must Know About the HIPAA Security Rule, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com. Healthcare organizations are facing increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity attacks, which is pushing entities to remain vigilant in keeping protected health in formation (PHI) secure. The HIPAA Security Rule is a national standard that can help organizations maintain current and comprehensive healthcare data security. Established in 2003, the HIPAA Security Rule was designed “to protect the privacy of individuals’ health information while […]

Lawmakers seek OSHA standard on workplace violence prevention in health care

April 3, 2018

This post, Lawmakers seek OSHA standard on workplace violence prevention in health care, first appeared on http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and 12 other House Democrats have introduced legislation intended to curb workplace violence in health care facilities. The Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act, introduced March 8, would direct OSHA to create a standard that would require health care facilities to develop and implement facility- and unit-specific workplace violence prevention plans. According to the […]

5 steps to get a handle on your practice’s cyber vulnerability

March 5, 2018

This post, 5 steps to get a handle on your practice’s cyber vulnerability, first appeared on https://wire.ama-assn.org/. March 2, 2018 A staggering 83 percent of physicians recently told AMA researchers that their practices have experienced a cyberattack of some type. The 1,300 physicians surveyed also said not enough cybersecurity support is coming from the government that will hold them accountable for a patient information breach. But concise, actionable advice is available to help medical practices […]

HHS announces $3.5 million HIPAA settlement with Fresenius resolving five breach reports

February 5, 2018

This post, HHS announces $3.5 million HIPAA settlement with Fresenius resolving five breach reports, first appeared on https://www.natlawreview.com/. Friday, February 2, 2018 Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), a provider of products and services for people with chronic kidney failure, has agreed to pay $3.5 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and adopt a comprehensive corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the Health […]

Stop the splashes, spills: How hospitals can ensure safe disposal of infectious fluid waste

January 10, 2018

This post, Stop the splashes, spills: How hospitals can ensure safe disposal of infectious fluid waste, first appeared on https://www.beckershospitalreview.com. Written by Mackenzie Bean | January 09, 2018 For clinical leaders on the front lines of healthcare, keeping patients and staff safe is the No. 1 priority. “Hospitals must foster safe working environments for clinical staff so they can focus on caring for patients,” said Cindy Witt, RN, senior consultant of clinical operations at Dublin, Ohio-based […]

3 things you need to do after receiving an OSHA citation

December 4, 2017

This post, 3 things you need to do after receiving an OSHA citation, first appeared on https://www.bizjournals.com/. Dec 4, 2017, 3:15am EST If your company has been inspected and violations have been noted, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has six months to send a list of citations. If your company receives a citation, it will include a list of all violations, proposed penalties for each of those violations, and a timeframe by which […]

Updates and Tips for Pharmaceutical Waste Management (Don’t Waste Time!)

October 4, 2017

This post, Updates and Tips for Pharmaceutical Waste Management (Don’t Waste Time!), first appeared on http://www.pharmacypracticenews.com/. Despina Kotis, PharmD, FASHP Director of Pharmacy Northwestern Medicine Chicago, Illinois Katie Gauen, PharmD Medication Safety and Compliance Pharmacist Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, Illinois Institutions across the country are faced with 2 key challenges related to pharmaceutical waste management: 1) the proper disposal of drugs, particularly if they are deemed hazardous, and 2) the safe and secure disposal of unused […]

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