The Compliance Insider 

Professional courtesy, when extended to a physician or entity who refers to "designated health services" can implicate the Stark Law. The Stark Law is a strict liability statute and the penalties for violating the... Read More

We have often said that if authorities initiated more high-profile legal actions against alleged HIPAA violators, it would go a long way toward boosting compliance. So, we are glad to see that federal prosecutors in... Read More

Tempting as it may be to ask job candidates for their school report cards a better method is to look for subtle clues potential slackers give during the hiring process. People with fixed mindsets believe you are... Read More

Check out this summary regarding the HIPAA Privacy Rule Accounting of disclosures proposed rule published by HHS in the Federal Register May 31. The proposed rule: * Applies to any medical and healthcare... Read More

Latex is a rubber product found in many manufactured goods, including: * Personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, goggles, and aprons; * Medical equipment, such as catheters and intravenous... Read More

HIPAA experts say the major takeaway from the HIPAA Privacy Rule disclosures proposed rule is the need to revisit existing auditing methods for disclosures of protected health information. The proposed rule requires... Read More

Wearing artificial nails in the lab is a bad idea. To allow gloves to fit properly and for good infection control, fingernails should be no longer than 0.25 inches beyond the end of the finger, according to the... Read More

Following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, employers face potential plaint of unlawful discrimination), but also by employees who have a close relationship with whoever engages in protected activity. The... Read More

The following is a template for a Tornado Emergency Plan to implement in your office. Before a tornado: Review your escape plan (in your OSHA setup materials) to learn the route. Locate and/or designate the... Read More

CMS recently announced that the first payments of the Medicare EHR Incentive Program were distributed on May 19. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Medicare EHR Incentive Program provides... Read More