a person cutting a piece of paper

The Compliance Insider 

*Tip* Storing Food and Medications in the Same Fridge

*Tip* Storing Food and Medications in the Same Fridge

Q: Is it OK to store food and medications, such as vaccines, in the same fridge? A: It is not acceptable to store medications, including vaccines, in the same refrigerator. In fact, there should be a separate...

HHS Releases Meaningful Use Stage 2 Final Rules

HHS Releases Meaningful Use Stage 2 Final Rules

CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONCHIT) released on August 23 the final requirements that hospitals and healthcare providers must meet in order to qualify for incentives during the...

ICD-10 Delay is Now Official

ICD-10 Delay is Now Official

HHS will delay implementation of ICD-10 by one year, from October 1, 2013, to October 1, 2014. HHS announced the delay on August 24th. HHS originally proposed a one-year delay (from October 1, 2013, to October 1,...

HIPAA Fines and Jail Time are Real

HIPAA Fines and Jail Time are Real

A New York medical supplier could go to jail for 10 years for wrongfully disclosing private patient information and submitting fraudulent Medicare claims in order to buy a multi-million dollar home and fund a pension...

I-9 Form Set to Expire

I-9 Form Set to Expire

Alert: employers may have noticed that the current version of the I-9 form used to verify a new employee's identity and employment authorization is set to expire on August 31, 2012. Citizenship and Immigration...

OCR Audits: Organizations are Failing in HIPAA Compliance

OCR Audits: Organizations are Failing in HIPAA Compliance

Too many healthcare organizations are receiving failing grades for HIPAA compliance, and analysis of OCR's first initial audits reveals. The biggest concern for Linda Sanches, OCR senior advisor and health...

Cracking Down on FMLA Abuse: Part 2

Cracking Down on FMLA Abuse: Part 2

This is the second part of an article about tackling the problem of FMLA abuse. The first part of the article was published last week. 7. Assign employees taking intermittent leave to alternative positions...

Cracking Down on FMLA Abuse: Part 1

Cracking Down on FMLA Abuse: Part 1

In order to minimize disruption in the workplace, an employer must detect and deal with employees who abuse FMLA. Managers are somewhat apprehensive when questioning an employee's requested FMLA leave because of...

Record Copies Requested from Out-of-State Parties

Record Copies Requested from Out-of-State Parties

The following is a recent question that came in from a client that serves as a helpful reminder: Q: We often receive requests from out-of-state attorneys who want us to bill for copies of records in accordance with...

8,000 Dental Patients to be Tested For Hepatitis, HIV

8,000 Dental Patients to be Tested For Hepatitis, HIV

An investigation by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment indicates that as many as 8,000 dental patients may have been exposed to bloodborne pathogens from unsafe injection practices. ...