This post, Accidental Needlesticks: The Silent Killer, first appeared on https://www.physiciansweekly.com. By Karen Daley   We all know that doctors and nurses work long hours under trying conditions, particularly in hospital emergency rooms, to save lives and bring healing and comfort to the sick.   What too many people do not know is that healthcare workers face a potential silent killer every day that is so common it is routinely overlooked and ignored: accidental needlesticks.   […]

This post, Why HIPAA matters: The toll of privacy breaches and compromised health data, first appeared on https://www.dentistryiq.com. Knowledge is power, and nowadays this is truer than ever. The move to a digital economy has facilitated the explosion of information consumption. Knowledge about customers, patients, and employees has enabled health-care organizations to personalize products and services and make decisions that meet their needs, but perhaps not the needs of their patients. The insights health-care entities have […]

This post, Physicians report most sharps injuries among health care workers, data shows, first appeared on https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com. Physicians have surpassed nurses as the occupational group with the highest percentage of reported sharps injuries, recent data from the International Safety Center shows. Researchers analyzed 2016 surveillance data from hospitals that voluntarily participate in ISC’s Exposure Prevention Information Network, a service that tracks occupational exposures in the health care industry. They found that 34.2 percent of workers […]

This post, Wyoming Seeks to Repeal Hospital Privacy Regulation for HIPAA Clarity, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com. Wyoming state senators recently proposed a bill that would clarify regulations around patient privacy in the state. Introduced on Tuesday, the legislation would repeal the state’s Hospital Records Act of 1991, which was designed to protect patient privacy rights in regards their medical records. The state law sought to provide patients with protections that federal laws did not cover, as […]

This post, Collaboration and innovation key to stemming risks for shift worker health and safety, first appeared on https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com. The ongoing demand for round-the-clock services fuels many industries. Enter shift work, which is a way of life for nearly 15 million Americans, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. The prevalence of shift work has spurred multiple studies on its potential adverse effects on employee health and safety. Among the studies is 2017 research […]

This post, 4 Ways to Improve Your Hospital Quality and Safety Rankings, first appeared on https://www.healthleadersmedia.com. Nearly two decades after the Institute of Medicine published its groundbreaking healthcare safety report “To Err Is Human,” medical errors remain a leading cause of death in this country. To rise to this challenge, hospitals from coast to coast are engaged in efforts to boost quality and safety such as initiatives aimed at hospital-acquired infections. For one hospital in particular, […]

This post, Can law enforcement access patient information? Sometimes, first appeared on https://www.masslive.com/. Hospital emergency departments treat a diverse population that includes victims of abuse, individuals with substance abuse disorder and those who may have been involved in crime. Do situations arise where they are obligated to share patient information with law enforcement without patient authorization or cause them to initiate such cooperation in the interest of public and patient safety? Sometimes. That includes reporting evidence to law […]

This post, HIPAA and data sharing: Rethinking both for the Digital Age, first appeared on https://www.healthcareitnews.com/. By Corinne Smith Ironically, HIPAA was written at a time when most providers were on paper charts and submitting paper claims. It established a framework for protecting patient information and focused heavily on the way providers shared patient information. The subsequent HITECH (Health Information for Economic and Clinical Health) Act of 2009 focused on the promotion of electronic medical […]

This post, Complying with the HIPAA Privacy Rule During Emergency Situations, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com/. The last thing on healthcare professionals’ minds in emergency situations is complying with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, but it should be a priority. Emergency situations and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, pandemics, or mass casualties, can quickly overwhelm healthcare systems. The last thing on people’s minds in those situations is complying with the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Sometimes, but not always, […]

This post, Hospitals Fail at HIPAA Compliance Re Medical Records Requests, first appeared on https://healthitsecurity.com. Many hospitals failed at HIPAA compliance in response to simulated patients’ requests for medical records, according to a Yale study. October 09, 2018 – Many hospitals failed at HIPAA compliance in response to simulated patients’ requests for medical records, according to a study by Yale researchers published in the JAMA Network Open. The researchers surveyed 83 top-ranked US hospitals with independent medical […]