In today’s tech-dominated world, as more digital devices permeate the practice of medicine, they simultaneously create more opportunities for HIPAA law violations. Telling somebody too much about a patient, walking away from an unlocked computer, or even trying to catch up on a backlog of EHRs on the weekend could all put you on the wrong side of the law. Watch out for these 5 actions that could leave you or your employer facing some […]

Any organization that has access to electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) must comply with HIPAA. If your organization needs to be compliant, this isn’t something you can delay or phase in gradually because failure to meet HIPAA compliance can carry steep penalties. (On the positive side, becoming HIPAA compliant can be a tremendous business driver if you’re interested in starting a company, entering a new market, attracting new customers, or reducing the time it takes […]

A dental practice in Texas that responded to patients’ Yelp reviews by disclosing patient names and other health information has gotten a bad review from federal regulators: A $10,000 HIPAA monetary settlement and a corrective action plan.   In a statement Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services said the settlement with Elite Dental Associates of Dallas centered on a patient complaint received in 2016 by HHS’ Office of Civil Rights, which enforces HIPAA. […]

Amazon.com, on Prime Day this year, announced that customers would be given a $10 credit if they agreed to let Amazon track their browsing data and use these data in the marketing of services or products that may be completely unrelated to those purchased from Amazon. An astonishing 7 million people agreed to the price and handed over their browsing privacy. The logic is simple: privacy has both a value to consumers and businesses. What […]

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 […]