Exclusion Lists: a Two Part Series
In the healthcare industry, providers, professionals and organizations are allowed some flexibility – standards may be required while others may be addressable. While there technically is not a specific statute or regulation that required you to check the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General’s (OIGs) List of Excluded […]
Electronic Communications: Part 1
Many administrators have asked us about electronic communications, more specifically about third party email providers such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, and others. This is part one of a two part article series. Recently a practice manager asked us: What does HIPAA say with about practices that use services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Hotmail […]
Ebola, Influenza and Infection Control: a Doctor’s Perspective
Some stories about Ebola say the risks are real, while others say we shouldn’t fear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance for U.S. healthcare workers on personal protective equipment for Ebola. Would that suggest the risks of Ebola are very real? The CDC is tightening previous infection control guidance for […]
Draft Guide for Keeping Medical Information Secure on Mobile Devices
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) released a draft guide that demonstrates how health care providers can make mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, more secure, in order to better protect patient information while still taking advances of electronic communications technology. According to the draft guide […]
DOJ Charges Operators of Bogus Medical Clinics
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the operators of seven bogus medical clinics were among 12 defendants taken into custody on federal drug trafficking charges that allege they diverted at least 2 million prescription pills – such as oxycodone and other addictive and dangerous narcotics – to the black market. The DOJ announcement […]
Does the Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Apply to your Facility?
The purpose of the Final Rule is “to establish national emergency preparedness requirements to ensure adequate planning for both natural and man-made disasters, and coordination with federal, state, tribal, regional and local emergency preparedness systems.” Providers and Suppliers impacted by the Final Rule According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Providers/Suppliers […]