The Compliance Insider 

There's still plenty of confusion about compliance with theHIPAA Omnibus Rule, and HIPAA in general. Here's a sampling of critical issues to be aware of in your practice. Many providers are reluctant, or... Read More

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced that more than half of all eligible providers have been paid under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. More than 50 percent... Read More

We recently had questions regarding cleaning up a mercury spill from a thermometer. The following instructions from OSHA and the EPA should help you if you have this occur in your practice. Small Mercury Spill... Read More

Under the HIPAA Omnibus Rule, security incidents are presumed to be reportable data breaches unless healthcare organizations demonstrate through a four-factor assessment that risks are low. The factors that need... Read More

Healthcare organizations need to conduct a comprehensive risk analysis as part of an effective security program. But many fall short, conducting only a HIPAA compliance assessment instead. They don't understand that... Read More

Q: We had a discussion at one of our clinic safety meetings about the practice of placing an "X" with chalk on the patient exam rooms in the event of a fire to identify which rooms were checked for patients before... Read More

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released an updated I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form. Employers are required to complete a Form I-9 to verify the identity and employment authorization... Read More

Healthcare organizations signing new deals with vendors, including many cloud services providers, must make sure that their business associate agreements reflect the requirements of the new HIPAA Omnibus Rule, which... Read More

Not every office participates in a wellness program. If you do, here are some suggestions for your success: Keep corporate wellness and employment decisions separate. Achievement in health programs shouldn't... Read More

The HIPAA Omnibus Rule creates a complex chain of compliance liability among covered entities and their business partners. UnderHIPAA Omnibus, covered entities, business associates, and subcontractors can be held... Read More