HIPAA Rules: Privacy, Security and Breach Notification
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also know as HIPAA, is designed to protect patient security. HIPAA allows patients to access their own health information, but also keeps that information protected from outside sources. The HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach notification rules aim to provide security and privacy for all health information. Certain institutions […]
Violence in the Workplace
Violence in the workplace is a large issue that greatly affects the nation, specifically among safety and health professionals. Data collected from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has supported this ongoing issue. In addition, it shows the importance of taking future preventative action. Unfortunately, workplace violence often times goes unnoticed. Despite […]
The Role of Business Associates
Healthcare providers have a large responsibility and role. Because of this, they often need assistance from others to carry out specific healthcare tasks. So, providers can use business associates who provide their services to complete these tasks. What Is a Business Associate? A business associate is any person who assists a covered entity by doing […]
OSHA Standards in Healthcare
Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The administration aims to provide and ensure safe work conditions for employees. They do this through enforcing OSHA standards and providing specific training, education and assistance. Exposure Control Plan OSHA standards require several components of the exposure […]
Prevention of Workplace Violence
Workplace violence is any act in the workplace that involves physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other disruptive behavior. This can affect employees, clients, customers, and visitors and has a major effect nationwide. The third leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States is due to violence and other injuries. Risks of Workplace Violence The […]
Understanding Federal Fraud, Waste and Abuse Laws in Healthcare
The False Claims Act, Physician Self-Referral Law, and Exclusion Statute are included as the main Federal fraud and abuse laws applicable to physicians. It is important to understand and follow these laws, because failure to do so can result in punishments ranging from civil fines to exclusion from Federal healthcare programs. Defining Fraud, Waste and […]
Infection Control for Healthcare Personnel
Infection control is an important tool for all healthcare professionals. It is defined as the action to prevent or stop the spread of infection. There are many methods to assist in infection control. Overall, it is necessary for healthcare personnel to utilize these methods to create a safe healthcare environment. Types of Infection Control Precautions […]
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Sexual harassment may be an issue employees face in the workplace. It can inhibit the employees’ ability to perform well at work and can have an effect on the work environment. Overall, this type of harassment is never welcome and prevention is key. What Is Sexual Harassment? Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of […]
A Just Culture Promotes Accountability and Patient Safety
Humans make mistakes and errors. These mistakes can be common in the healthcare setting because many events are complex or risky. In these situations, mistakes can lead to negative effects or even death. One common approach to solve this issue is to identify the individual that caused the problem and punish them. But, this does […]
OSHA’s New Emergency Temporary Standard
As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, a new emergency temporary standard has been released by The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The standard provides new guidelines to protect healthcare workers from contracting COVID-19. Those who are likely to come in contact with the virus are the focal point of the new standard. […]
Lack of Hospital Beds Due to COVID-19
Hospitals Are Experiencing Bed Shortages The highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant has increased hospital visits greatly. The number of hospitalized patients due to the variant has reached over 100,000. This approaches record numbers of hospital beds filled. The increase in patients leaves hospitals understaffed and with limited resources. Because of this, other patients in need […]
The Push To Ban Cloth Masks
The use of cloth masks rose to popularity in the earliest stages of the pandemic; however, research shows cloth masks are less effective than medical masks. Due to the more transmissible COVID-19 variants emerging, such as delta, many countries are making the decision to ban cloth masks. It is unknown if America will follow […]