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Revenue and finance will be affected significantly by healthcare reform, and key aspects of reform already are impacting revenue streams, says Erin M. OConnor, Esq., practice leader with Cammack LaRhette Consulting in New York City.
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These are some of the key changes in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) final rule released recently by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):
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The maximum penalty for a data breach under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is now $1.5 million, six times higher than the original fine under the law. That change is just one of the significant changes in the final HIPAA rule released recently by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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Healthcare giant HCA, based in Nashville, TN, must pay a Kansas City, MO, charitable foundation $162 million and undergo extensive auditing after a judge found that the for-profit hospital operator broke key agreements regarding charity care and capital expenditures in its billion-dollar purchase of hospitals from Health Midwest in 2002.
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Leveraging knowledge gained from previous initiatives, including an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)/Ascension Health/Premier collaboration, hospitals in the Premier Perinatal Safety Initiative (PPSI) use two methods to create high-reliability healthcare teams: increased adherence to evidence-based care bundles, and enhanced communication and teamwork.
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Hospitals participating in the "Healthy Tennessee Babies are Worth the Wait" partnership reduced preventable early elective deliveries by 75% over seven months, to 3.5% of all births, according to data released recently by the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA).
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With more vendors qualifying as business associates under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), some covered entities are wondering just where the responsibility lies for making that determination and ensuring compliance. The consensus is that the healthcare provider must be responsible, partly to protect yourself.
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A first-of-its-kind video monitoring system used to measure hand-washing compliance at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) in Manhasset, NY, is being expanded to include cameras in operating rooms (ORs) at a sister facility, Forest Hills (NY) Hospital.
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In the recent settlements regarding discrimination against people with hearing disabilities, the Department of Justice (DOJ) found that at each of the eight facilities, a person who is deaf sought to access healthcare services and was denied a needed sign language interpreter.
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Wrong-patient medication errors occur most often during administration and transcription, but patient safety can be improved by implementing strategies during all phases of the medication process, according to a new report from the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PPSA).
