Written by Anne Carrie According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are nearly 385,000 sharps-related injuries that occur annually in the US healthcare industry, which is an average of 1,000 per day. A sharps injury is penetrating stab wound from a needle, scalpel, or another sharp object that may result in...
When infection control procedures are not followed, there is a risk that infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV can be transmitted. The 2003 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Guidelines provide evidence-based infection control practices relevant to the dental industry. The American Dental Association urges all dental practices to employ these infection control procedures and...
What are HIPAA and OSHA? The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was established to set national standards to protect individual’s medical records and other personal health information. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) was established to ensure safe and healthful working conditions by enforcing standards and by providing training, education, and assistance....
Is EMR mandatory for dental practices? Many have posed the question, is the transition to Electronic Medical Records federally mandatory for dental practices, and if not, when will it be? According to the American Dental Association, for the majority of dental practices, there is currently no deadline to switch to EMRs. However this year, Medicare...
Patient engagement has been a rapidly emerging movement and buzzword in the healthcare industry this year. There have been countless articles, blogs, studies, and educational forums dedicated to the topic. It has been labeled as the “the blockbuster drug of the century”. Some say, “The future of healthcare is being shaped largely by the patient...
On October 1, 2015, the US government moved from the ICD-9 coding system to ICD-10, which is a coding standard already being used by many developed countries around the world. The change expands the number of codes from 20,000 to more than 155,000. Which is nearly eight times as many codes to describe why a...
Infection Control Healthcare-associated infections are a major, preventable, threat to patient safety and one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Approximately, 1 in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection. This adds up to $33 billion in excess medical costs every year. In efforts to increase infection control and...
Yes, the proper sterilization of medical devices, surgical instruments, supplies and equipment utilized in patient care and surgery is a critical aspect of health care that directly impacts patient safety. Hospitals and Ambulatory Centers are required to be in compliance with the Federal requirements outlined in the Medicare Conditions of Participation to receive Medicare/Medicaid payment....
OIG ISSUES FRAUD ALERT WARNING OF ANTI-KICKBACK LIABILITY FORCERTAIN PHYSICIAN COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS On June 9, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) posted a new Fraud Alert to its website(http://oig.hhs.gov/compliance/alerts/guidance/Fraud_Alert_Physician_Compensation_06092015.pdf) cautioning physicians who enter into compensation arrangements, such as medical directorships, that such arrangements may violate the federal Anti-kickback statute if steps are not taken to ensure...
On March 18, 2015, the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB) issued a report offering guidance for employers on drafting their employee policy and procedure handbook. The following article, “NLRB’s General Counsel Issues Guidance On Employee Handbook Provisions,” written by Shima Walker with the McLane Law Firm, and published in Monaq Business...
