The Compliance Insider Blog | Healthcare Compliance Pros - Page 84

Alaska's Medicaid to Pay $1.7 million for HIPAA Violations

Although your practice is not as large as a state Medicaid agency, you can use this incident as a good negative example because the same principles apply to a smaller practice. Alaska's Medicaid program has...

"At-Will" Employment: Avoid Unintentional Mistakes

It may seem like a good idea to say you will terminate employees only "for cause," particularly if you want to be perceived as acting fairly towards your workers. But, if you do, you could be limiting your ability to...

Sharing PHI with Specialists

Q: A patient who presented with an order from the primary care physician for lab work had also seen a specialist who ordered x-rays. Both physicians were entered into the system, and both received the laboratory test...

Refusing the Hep B Titer

Q: If an employee agrees to the hepatitis B vaccination but fails to follow through on the titer one to two months after the series, what should I do for OSHA compliance? A: There is no regulation that says you...

Emergency Access Procedures

Your practice must establish procedures so your employees know how to obtain electronically protected health information (ePHI) during an emergency. Access controls will still be necessary under emergency...

RAC Self-Auditing (part 2)

We pick up where we left off in Part 1 of our article on RAC Self-audits which was posted back on June 6, 2012. Here are 14 simple questions that will give you peace of mind regarding your RAC self-audits. ...

The HIPAA "Mega Rule" to be Released by the End of Summer

The new HIPAA Rule that we have been anticipating is finally going to be released. The national coordinator for health information technology says the HIPAA "mega rule" should be published by the end of...

Tips to Avoid Computer Monitor Eyestrain

Are your employees bleary-eyed after hours on the computer? Help them avoid eyestrain with these simple tips: Look away from the monitor for 30 seconds, every 15 or 20 minutes. Look at or scan things at least...

Emory Healthcare Faces Major Breach Lawsuit

This lawsuit is an example of what can happen with the unsecured ePHI at your practice. Your practice may not be as large as Emory Healthcare, but a breach of your practice can have a major impact on your...

Tips for National Ergonomics Week

The National Safety Council (NSC) reminds us that week 2 of June National Safety Week is Ergonomics Week. Here is a list of the Council's daily ergonomics tips to share with your co-workers: Monday: Keep...