Regardless of whether or not you are a big company or a small company, you can still be subjected to a breach. Today’s hackers are professionals. Hackers have one thing in mind, “YOU”, not you as a person, but you, who has information that will benefit only “THEM”. Hackers are looking to gain access to...
Has your practice reported its breach? 45CFR 164.408 requires all covered entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) to provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary with notice of breaches of unsecured protected health information. The number of affected individuals determines when the notification must be completed. Breaches of unsecured protected health information...
Has the minimum wage increased in your state? The National Conference of State Legislatures has issued a publication listing the individual states that have increased their minimum wages in 2014 and 2015. As of January 1, 2015, 29 states and D.C. will have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage. Four states – Alaska, Arkansas,...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has updated the Recordkeeping Rule for reporting fatalities and severe injuries. As of January 1, 2015, states under federal OSHA jurisdiction must comply with the new recordkeeping requirements. Twenty-seven states have OSHA-approved state safety and health plans. Organizations located in states that operate their own programs should check with...
What if one of your friends asks you questions about your current job duties, and what it is your organization does. What information would you share? Should you only be concerned with HIPAA obligations? Safeguarding Confidential Information is not just a HIPAA Obligation Throughout your career you may be asked questions about your job duties...
This article written by MedSafe Billing and Coding Specialist, Mike Enos. In this coding tip, we will review a few modifiers that specify which portion of the surgical package the provider is billing for. The global surgical package includes payment for services that are a necessary part of a procedure. For example, the global package includes not just payment...
This article was written by Karen Pass, Senior Compliance Specialist with MedSafe. There are many important elements to implementing an effective HIPAA Program, but none are more important than completing a security risk analysis. Conducting a risk analysis will give your practice an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the...
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there are approximately 800,000 needlestick injuries each year, and more than 1,000 health care workers contract serious infections from these incidents. Nearly two-thirds of nurses report being accidentally stuck at some time in their career. Bloodborne pathogens spread through needlestick accidents include HIV, hepatitis, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis,...
In an alarming new trend, people are seeking treatment for dental problems, such as toothaches, tooth abscesses and other dental problems in emergency rooms, and the numbers are rising, a new study from the Pew Center reveals. In 2009, emergency rooms received 830,590 visits nationwide for dental conditions – a 16 percent increase from 2006....
Last week’s blog outlined what to expect when OSHA visits, from the knock on the door to the initial meetings, and ending with the documentation you will need to provide. This week’s blog continues with the onsite visit. After having gathered the requested documentation, the inspector will tour your worksite to observe working conditions. Someone who is...
