The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities to protect and confidentially handle patients’ protected health information. MSPs, physicians, and their organizations must remain vigilant or risk violating HIPAA. Most organizations don’t set out to violate HIPAA, but misunderstanding the law can lead straight to a breach that could have been easily prevented.

Published 5/31/18

A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) made headlines late last year when it proclaimed that overlapping surgeries didn’t increase the risk of postop complications. The claim was backed by several other studies. That said, they all noted that instead of being a time-saving procedure, overlapping surgeries actually took longer than ordinary ones.

Published 5/30/18

CMS has cited University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore for violating the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) stemming from an incident in which a female patient wearing only a gown and socks was escorted from the hospital by security staff and left at a bus stop on a cold January night. She was eventually brought back to the hospital by ambulance and then sent to a homeless shelter by cab.

Published 5/29/18

In a 4-3 decision, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (the “Court”) recently affirmed a Superior Court decision to uphold a trial court’s ruling that limited the scope of the state’s Peer Review Protection Act (PRPA). The Court ruled that peer review documents are only protected by the PRPA if they are generated by professional healthcare providers.

Does your hospital require a drug screen for physicians on the medical staff at initial appointment? Answer our new poll question to let us know. You must be signed in with your free or paid CRC account to participate.

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