Compliance
RSSArticles
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Big Penalties for Right to Access Initiative
The Office for Civil Rights HIPAA Right of Access initiative recently led to the resolution of 11 cases at a cost of $626,000, emphasizing the risk of failing to comply with this requirement.
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Proper Disposal of PHI Required, Often Overlooked
The Office for Civil Rights announced a settlement with a Massachusetts dermatology clinic regarding the improper disposal of PHI, which serves as a reminder HIPAA compliance is not only about protecting data from hackers. Covered entities also are responsible for disposing of PHI appropriately.
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Online Collaboration Platforms Create HIPAA Exposures
Business communications are rapidly and dramatically moving from email to various collaboration platforms like Slack, Workplace by Meta, and Microsoft Teams. PHI can easily end up stored as part of collaboration data — a relatively new data set that is uniquely different from other electronic channels because of its fragmented and nuanced nature.
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Video Recording Raises Risk, Requires Policy Consideration
Video recording has been problematic in healthcare for decades, ever since the home video camera became common. With the proliferation of smartphones and remote video monitoring, hospitals and health systems are facing a new wave of questions and potential risks from video recording in patient care settings.
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Handwashing Compliance Often Not as Good as Leaders Hope
Hand hygiene is fundamental to patient safety. But for many healthcare organizations, maintaining compliance with good handwashing practices is a challenge. Compliance seemed to improve at many facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some research suggests clinicians are regressing to old habits.
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Feds Serious About Preventing Discrimination in Telehealth
The HHS Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice are signaling they will take seriously any discrimination against protected classes in the delivery of telehealth services. Hospitals and health systems must make sure they are providing reasonable accommodations when needed.
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Track the Right Safety Indicators for Best Results
Risk managers can track leading indicators to assess safety improvement efforts, but there is no uniform set of leading indicators for hospitals and health systems. Knowing which indicators to track can make your risk management program more effective.
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Court Issues Ruling on False Claims Act
Healthcare providers received some news from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, with a ruling that makes proving fraud or falsity under Anti-Kickback Statute more difficult.
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Nurse Practitioner Liability Increasing, Risk Managers Should Advise
The average total incurred amount of a nurse practitioner malpractice claim has risen sharply over five years. Risk managers can use recent data to help educate nurse practitioners and reduce their risk.
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Contraceptive Injection Mix-Up Leads to Unwanted Birth, $10 Million Verdict
There are two principal ramifications arising from this decision that relate to a healthcare provider’s failure to adhere to the accepted standard of contraceptive care. First, a patient’s reason for seeking reproductive healthcare does not limit the scope of a negligent provider’s liability as a matter of state law.