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 […]
5 Reasons to Protect Your Staff From Healthcare Violence
Although you might believe healthcare to be full of healthy individuals, many healthcare providers operate in high-risk fields; individuals in the health field are four times more likely to fall victim to workplace violence. Furthermore, the amount of violence risk is surprising; here are 5 reasons to protect yourself and your practice from workplace […]
Ransomware Facts
Ever receive an email from a self-proclaimed prince from out of the US claiming that you’re the heir to their fortune if you just click here. It’s hard to believe that individuals face cyber attacks when less-than-menacing emails like that pop up in inboxes all the time. However, the reality is that cyber attacks […]
Opioids & ED Risk Mitigation
No one wants to wait in the emergency room, but lately it’s become more dangerous for medical professionals. One article by Politico Magazine highlights opioids, gang violence, rising healthcare costs, as well as mental illness as issues that have led to this surge in emergency room healthcare violence. What’s more, OSHA has identified the […]
Blood Pathogens and Exposure Control Plan
Author: Ernesto Fierro Exposure to blood pathogens has become a common familiarity in healthcare settings. For example, according to the CDC, an estimated 5.6 million healthcare workers are at risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Specifically, these pathogens can fall under distinct disease categories. Considering a large presence of potential hazards, its critical […]
Skin Cancer Prevention Guide
Author: Ernesto Fierro As we continue through an excessive heat period , it’s important to discuss skin cancer prevention. Unfortunately, skin cancer has become a worldwide health issue bringing forth a number of cases. According to CDC, skin cancer remains the most common forms of cancer in the United States. Equally important is non-epithelial […]
Healthcare Data Breach: Facts and Prevention
Author: Ernesto Fierro Healthcare Data Breach has become a topic with financial and consumer implications. Data breach in healthcare can bring on a number of issues that can directly affect a companies’ customer retention, and associated costs. For example, one journal stated that there have been 2,181 healthcare incidents involving data breach between 2009 and […]
Healthcare Violence, Course Highlight
Less than a month ago, a shooting occurred at the Capital Gazette newspaper chain without any notice. Consider working in a Northern United States Office, which is relatively low risk. Also, consider the healthcare field where workplace violence is highly prevalent. What’s more, healthcare violence is the leading type of workplace violence according to OSHA. […]
Cal/OSHA Looks to Healthcare for New Workplace Violence Rule
Written By David Johnson California is looking to healthcare legislation for OSHA-mandated prevention of workplace violence. In November of 2018, California will host a summit to discuss risk reduction for California employers and safety professionals through the Cal/OSHA division. In the most recent article of the EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) Advisor, there is a […]