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Ebola does not spread by the airborne route, but recently issued infection control recommendations recommend that health care workers don at the least N95 respirators if performing a procedure that may generate aerosols with the patients blood or body fluids.
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Surveillance also tracks other injuries
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The two recently discharged Ebola patients treated at Emory Hospital in Atlanta were the source of much misinformation and fear upon admission, with many people questioning the wisdom of bringing the deadly virus into the country. In response, Susan Mitchell Grant, RN and chief nurse at Emory wrote a thoughtful op-ed piece for the Washington Post.
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Most occupational health nurses learn about respiratory protection on the job.
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Two organizations will pay a combined $4.8 million to settle a case sparked by a breach of protected health information (PHI). The settlement is the largest ever for a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) will begin conducting desk audits for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in October 2014. These audits will be conducted remotely by requesting compliance documentation.
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A growing number of patient access areas offer self-service options with online registration or kiosks. Registration times decreased by almost 50% after kiosks were implemented at five of Integris Healths hospitals.
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A Patient Contact Center At Pittsburgh-based UPMC Handles Scheduling, Discharge Planning, And Collection Of Unpaid Balances For More Than A Dozen Hospitals And 23 Specialties.
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Patient access areas are moving financial discussions earlier in the process to give patients detailed information about their coverage. At Sutter Health, upfront collections rose by 25% as a result of giving price estimates when pre-registering patients.
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Rounding in patient access areas gives managers an opportunity to observe the customer service provided by employees firsthand.