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Often, physician offices aren't aware of the differences between hospital insurance requirements and provider requirements, which creates tension between the two areas, says Kellie Hawkins, director of patient access for Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, MD.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a final report outlining best practices for businesses to protect the privacy of American consumers and give them greater control over the collection and use of their personal data.
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A patient access employee working in central admitting has different training needs from someone working in radiology, the emergency department, or same-day surgery.
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[Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part series on issues surrounding social media and ambulatory surgery. In this issue, we discuss one facility's nightmare when a temp employee posted patient information on Facebook. We discuss legal issues and employee training. In last month's issue, we gave you some horror stories and told you how to avoid them. We also told you how to be proactive about your online presence, as well as how to develop a social media policy.]
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Survey results released by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) in Alexandria, VA, showed more patients sought out social networking sites for advice and information on facial plastic surgery before choosing a procedure in 2011 than in 2010. In comparison, the percentage of patients obtaining information from friends declined between 2010 and 2011.
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Way back when, most people had a porch light on their house. It was what we all did. Last night when walking my foo-foo dogs, I noticed that most people don't have their porch light on. I looked behind me at my house, and it was ablaze in petro-sucking electricity. I could hear the electric meter spinning from down the block.
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Peer pressure. The problem isn't limited to middle and high schools across America. In fact, the problem has infiltrated outpatient surgery programs across the country as surgeons and other staff members pressure the central sterile supply (CSS) technicians to sterilize instruments quickly.
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The Institute of Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is focusing on unsafe injection practices, and it points out that according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these practices have caused more than 50 outbreaks of bloodborne diseases in the past 10 years.1 More than 600 patients were infected, according to the CDC.
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Healthcare facilities have been put on alert to recognize fatigue among workers as a risk to patient safety. But for now, facilities won't face any regulatory consequences for failing to address it.
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New comprehensive guidelines for the preoperative care of elderly patients have been issued by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS).
