It’s Your Call November 2016
OSHA: Labels, Red Bags & Warnings Have you ever wondered if you were labeling appropriately? It can be confusing but here are some pointers from OSHA. On one of OSHA’s fact sheets says labels and signs are used to communicate hazards. Warning labels must be affixed to containers of regulated waste; containers of contaminated […]
Phase Two HIPAA Audits Enter Round Three for Business Associates
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is tasked with monitoring and enforcing the HIPAA regulations. While they have always conducted investigations and inspections as a result of breach incidents they plan to also pursue random audits. To start this process they initiated 115 random audits of Covered Entities in 2011 and 2012 to test […]
New OSHA Regulations on Illnesses and Injuries – Part II
OSHA announced new regulations on reporting workplace illnesses and injuries in May. There are rolling out in two parts. For a refresher on part one, check out last month’s Advisor and on our website. Part two goes into effect on November 1, 2016. Part two of the new regulations involves changing policies and procedures to […]
It’s Your Call October 2016
OSHA: Hepatitis C Considerations When working with your last patient, recently diagnosis of Hepatitis C, he mentioned that he has never felt better since beginning treatment with Harvoni. What other thoughts about Hepatitis C come to mind? Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. According to the CDC, people can become infected with Hepatitis C during […]
OCR Begins Random Audits for Business Associates
The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced that the Business Associate Desktop Audits will take place this month, October, 2016. In 2011, OCR decided to expand HIPAA monitoring and enforcing to include random audits. During Phase One they initiated 115 random audits of Covered Entities (CE). Phase Two, Round one occurred in May, 2016 […]
The Cost of Record Snooping
In the early hours of June 12, 2016 news broke of a horrific attack, and mass killing of patrons inside an Orlando night club. All told, there were a total of 49 people who were killed, and another 56 who were injured, but would survive. The victims were taken to two separate hospitals in the […]
New OSHA Regulations on Illnesses and Injuries
OSHA announced new regulations on reporting workplace illnesses and injuries in May. This is a two-part change. Part one involves reporting illnesses and injuries to OSHA electronically each year and goes into effect in January, 2017. Part two covers changes in the policies and procedures needed to ensure employees report their illnesses and injuries without […]
It’s Your Call September 2016
OSHA: The heat is on…. Summer temperatures spiked higher than usual in some areas, and now the cooler months of Fall are approaching. Some employees feel that winter is year round at their facility because the thermostat always seems to be set for FRIGID. So how do you keep everyone happy and find a comfortable […]
HIPAA Enforcement Update
This year, the healthcare sector has seen a dramatic rise in HIPAA enforcement, settlement agreements and the resumption of the OCR Audit Protocol. The number of healthcare records that were breached in 2015 (113 million) was almost triple the total number of records breached between 2009 and 2014 (41 million). That, along with the unprecedented […]
Higher Fees for OSHA Infractions in August
August, 2016 The cost of living has been going up all over; except Federal Civil Penalties over the last 25 years. That changed in November 2015 when Congress passed the Inflation Adjustment Act. The new legislation is an adjustment to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990. Five Department of Labor agencies are […]