New Mexico Lost Medical Records
By Julia Vann Imagine, all at once, your medical records becoming public knowledge. It’s a scary thought, having what should remain private suddenly under the public gaze. At best, it would be embarrassing, and at worst, it could lead to discrimination and harsh judgment from your peers. For most of us, we don’t have […]
Safe Patient Handling
Author: Ernesto Fierro Occupational injuries remain one of the most crucial aspects in the healthcare field . For example, in the United States, an average of 6.4 work related injuries per 100 employees was reported in 2013. Moreover, due to the nature of healthcare settings, occupational injuries can result from on the floor patient interactions. […]
Premera Blue Cross Destroying Evidence
By Julia Vann Premera Blue Cross faces an accusation of destroying evidence for a class action lawsuit. The initial breach happened back in 2015 when a cyberattack allegedly compromised 35 computers. Up to 11 million patient records may have been compromised. This is considered the second largest data breach ever to be reported by […]
Safety After Tropical Storm Gordon
By Julia Vann With the recent Tropical Storm Gordon, the U.S. Department of Labor has urged the states affected to be extra mindful about safety protocol. In the aftermath of a storm, you would think that the worst would be over. That’s true, but that’s why it’s so important to stay safe afterwards. There […]
Urgent Care Visits Increase
By Julia Vann Urgent Care Centers. Most of us have noticed them popping up around our towns and cities in the last few years. There has been a steady increase in the frequency of these centers, but that’s not the only thing there’s been an increase in. “According to a study published in JAMA […]
Alzheimer’s Caused By Bug?
By Julia Vann For many years now, Alzheimer’s and Dementia have been legitimate threats for the elderly community. The thought of losing your memories and sense of self is scary for anyone. It’s no wonder why so much research has been poured into discovering the cause and, hopefully, find a cure. The general consensus […]
St. Thomas Mental Health
The University of St. Thomas will hire more on-campus counselors in an effort to increase mental health awareness. According to Counseling Services Director Steve Maurer, the decision comes off an “increased sense of urgency” to talk about mental health . For example, an annual CCMH report found an increase in the number of rapid counseling […]
Antibiotic Resistant Infections
by Julia Vann Imagine a society where a minor cut could threaten your life. It may seem silly, but that is exactly the danger we currently face with the rise of antibiotic resistant infections. According to a year long research study conducted by the Annals of Emergency Medicine, bacteria resistant to the most common […]
Veterans Affairs Department Violation
by Julia Vann What Happened? Three Democratic Lawmakers in Oklahoma have accused The Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs of violating HIPAA. They have even demanded the top two Oklahoma Veterans Affairs officials be fired over the incident. What kind of violation would be bad enough to fire two people over? The usage of smartphones in […]
Settlement Reached with Anthem Hacking
Written By David Johnson After a period of back and forth disputes, the US District Court of Northern California ruled in favor of around 19 million patients with medical records exposed by a hack in 2015. Anthem inc. will offer 24 months of credit monitoring to patients exposed on top of a $115 million settlement. Because […]
Information Security Policies
Security policies help employers understand their company’s policies and security measures. According to InfoGuard Cyber Security, a solid information security strategy can help safeguard health information. In addition, a well-developed information security system can asses how data is stored, handled, and transmitted between departments and organizations. As a result, security policies play a crucial […]
Unity Point Phishing Attack
A series of phishing attacks at UnityPoint health has resulted in the breaching patient information. According to a recent journal, 1.4 million consumer patients received notification regarding possible information breaching. These phishing attacks came as a series of phishing emails meant to target employee email accounts. Medical record numbers, diagnosis information, insurance information, as […]