Frequently Asked Quetions

MedSafe has been providing customized, comprehensive compliance programs for nearly 30 years.  We provide training and assessments for HIPAA and OSHA, as well as training in CMS Fraud, Waste & Abuse, and Sexual Harassment, which is applicable to business in every field. Our clients include small, one-provider practices, as well as groups that have thousands of employees with hundreds of locations. MedSafe provides not only an online platform for training staff and managing compliance documents, but also onsite support and traditional classroom training, if requested.

For more information about our services, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

The Bloodborne Pathogens standard uses the term, “regulated waste,” to refer to the following categories of waste which require special handling: (1) liquid or semi-liquid blood or OPIM; (2) items contaminated with blood or OPIM and which would release these substances in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed; (3) items that are caked with dried blood or OPIM and are capable of releasing these materials during handling; (4) contaminated sharps; and (5) pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or OPIM.

Like in many workplaces, OSHA enforces closed-toed shoes for veterinary office dress codes. Closed-toed shoes protect employees’ feet from chemical spills, falling sharps, and animal scratches. Closed-toed shoes also keep workers’ feet clean.

The most relevant areas consist of infection control and working with hazardous chemicals, such as embalming fluids containing formaldehyde or formalin, and many other hazardous chemicals that are often present in the workplace.  It’s all about funeral home worker safety.

The HIPAA training requirements are mandatory. There is an Administrative Requirement of the Privacy Rule (45 CFR §164.530) and an Administrative Safeguard of the Security Rule (45 CFR §164.308). However, the standards related to training allow for plenty of gaps in HIPAA knowledge, which could result in avoidable HIPAA violations.

For further information, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

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Under the HIPAA Security Rule, medical practices are required to conduct an accurate and thorough analysis of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information (ePHI) held by the covered entity or business associate. Use of any HIPAA standard transaction makes a dental practice a “Covered Health Care Provider” that must comply with all HIPAA rules, including those for Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification.

For further information, or to sign-up, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

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All medical and dental records and other identifiable health information used or disclosed by a covered entity in any form, whether electronically, on paper, orally, are covered under HIPAA.

For more information, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

Medical records must be kept for the duration of employment plus 30 years unless state regulations state otherwise.

OSHA and HIPPA rules requires practices to have updated policies and procedures.  Integrity standards must be maintained by any healthcare provider.  Practices must have someone in place who is designated as the OSHA Safety Coordinator.  A HIPPA Compliance Officer must also be named.  Depending on the practice, the practice may have a HIPAA Privacy Officer and a HIPAA Security Officer.  Both OSHA and HIPAA have specific training requirements.  MedSafe can assist practices, not only with these specific areas, but also with the auditing, detecting and correcting of deficiencies that might be present.

For more information, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

The standard requires an annual review of the exposure control plan.  In addition, whenever changes in tasks, procedures, or employee positions affect, or create new occupational exposure, the existing plan must be reviewed and updated accordingly.

For more information, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

Under the HIPAA Security Rule, medical practices are required to conduct an accurate and thorough analysis of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information (ePHI) held by the covered entity or business associate. Use of any HIPAA standard transaction makes a dental practice a “Covered Health Care Provider” that must comply with all HIPAA rules, including those for Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification.

For further information, or to sign-up, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

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Following an exposure incident, employers are required to document, at a minimum, the route(s) of exposure and the circumstances under which the exposure incident occurred. In reality, the documentation must contain sufficient detail about the incident.  This documentation should include:

• Engineering controls in use at the time and the work practices followed;
• Description of device in use;
• The type off PPE worn at time of exposure;
• Location and procedure being done at time of exposure; and
• Employee’s training.
• The source individual should be documented unless it is infeasible or prohibited by state or local law.

For more information, please call (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233) and select option 4.

The standard requires that all equipment that may be contaminated must be examined and decontaminated as necessary before servicing or shipping.  If this is not feasible, the equipment must be labeled with the required Biohazard label which also specifically identifies which parts of the equipment remain contaminated. The employer must convey this information to the affected employees, the servicing individual, and/or the manufacturer, as appropriate, before handling, servicing, or shipping.

For more information, please call us at (888) MEDSAFE (633-7233), and select option 4.

The employer is responsible for providing, laundering, cleaning, repairing, replacing, and disposing of PPE at no cost to employees. Under the standard, employers are not obligated to provide general work clothes to employees, but they are responsible for providing PPE.  If lab jackets or uniforms are intended to protect employee’s body or clothing from contamination, they are to be provided by the employer at no cost.

Regulations require that you have practice-specific, i.e., customized, manuals and training programs. MedSafe will create these and make sure that they are updated when any regulatory changes occur.

For further information, please call us at (781) 237-9700, and select option 4.

If consent cannot be obtained and is required by state law, the employer must document in writing that consent cannot be obtained. When the source individual’s consent is not required by law, the source individual’s blood, if available, shall be tested and the results documented.

With all of the protocols required of a veterinary practice, a successful compliance program results in a win-win for all. Being compliant results in a safer work environment for staff, healthier pets, and happier pet owners.

The standard covers animal blood only for those experimental animals purposely infected with HIV or HBV. Although the standard does not apply to animal blood unless it comes from an experimental animal infected with HIV or HBV, persons handling animals or animal blood should follow general precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control/National Institutes of Health Publication, Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories.

Not all plans are equal in scope, scale, and application, as they are intentionally adaptable to an individual practice’s circumstances and needs. Veterinary management must create an effective program utilizing strategies that protect their staff, patients, pet owners, and community.

The Hazard Communication Standard requires employers to keep an updated Safety Data Sheet for every hazardous chemical used or stored in the facility, regardless of the frequency or amount of chemical used. Employers shall ensure that SDSs are readily accessible during each work shift to employees when they are in their work area(s). The Safety data Sheets can be kept in a binder or stored electronically. if an organization chooses to store SDSs electronically, it must have another electronic or physical backup available in case of a power outage or other emergency. SDSs must always be accessible to employees without any barriers regardless of how they are maintained.