The Compliance Insider 

Want to know what the OCR audits will look like? OCR has let us know. The HIPAA privacy and security enforcer has released its audit protocol. OCR breaks down 77 areas for which it will be reviewed during its... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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. ... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading