The Compliance Insider Blog | Healthcare Compliance Pros - Page 86

HIPAA Pitfalls at Physicians Practices

The following is a list of common HIPAA violations seen regularly in physician offices. Check your practice against this list to see if your staff commits the same common violations, and if so, address these...

Care and Handling of Fire Extinguishers

During recent OSHA inspections, violations involving fire extinguishers have become more common. OSHA routinely evaluates the presence, placement, use, maintenance, and testing of fire extinguishers. These...

Time is Almost Up

It's begun; a sudden, nationwide revalidation effort that's hitting you off the normal cycle. CMS is kicking into high gear. The initial waves of revalidation notices have hit a total of 126,184 providers nationwide...

Security Breaches of PHI

We have received numerous questions regarding how to handle a breach of protected health information. This article is a reminder of what you should do. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released...

CMS Announces Another Extension of HIPAA 5010 Deadline

CMS announced on March 15 that it would once again postpone the enforcement of HIPAA 5010 for three months. CMS initially called for enforcement by the start of 2012 but delayed it until March. The most recent...

Storing Specimens with Medications

The following is an important reminder for your employees: Q: We are aware that specimens cannot be stored with food, but is it okay to store blood, urine, and other specimens in the same refrigerator and/or...

Use of Lab Coats

Q: Is the wearing of lab coats really necessary in the healthcare setting? Where is the OSHA regulation requiring lab coats to be worn in the healthcare laboratory? A: As with most OSHA regulations,...

Scam Alert for your Medicare Patients

Criminals who plot to defraud the federal government and steal money from the American people have a new target: people with diabetes. Please pass along the following information to your Medicare patients with...

Security Rule Principles

It is advisable to periodically review the principles of the HIPAA Rules to remind ourselves of the importance of the regulations. Here we will review the principles of the Security Rule. The Security Rule...

Candles in Your Office

Q: What does OSHA say about prohibiting candles in a doctors' office? We have nurses who like to have them burning, but the smell from them is awful. So how can I get them out of the office? A: Medical...