A big takeaway from the HHS is the importance of taking appropriate actions beforehand to mitigate the potential of damage caused by ransomware. Unlike malware that simply transfers PHI without authorization, ransomware makes the PHI unavailable or destroys it altogether.

In recent research, healthcare professionals with sleep disorders were nearly four times as likely to suffer burnout than staff members without sleep disorders.

More than half of disposable isolation gowns tested by ECRI failed to meet protection standards and could expose healthcare workers to dangerous viruses, and bloodborne and other pathogens, the safety research organization said.

Expect The Joint Commission (TJC) to get tougher on water management and infection control, preconstruction risk assessments, workplace violence protections, and kitchen safety. Don’t be surprised if TJC Life Safety Code^® (LSC) surveyors go into places you may not have seen them venture into in years past. The same goes for clinical surveyors, who literally may be getting up in your kitchen—and possibly in the kitchens of any on-site commercial food service if it serves patients or residents.

While many view earthquakes as a West Coast issue, the truth is that 45 states and U.S. territories are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes. Some of this risk is from natural features like fault lines and tectonic plates. However, more areas have been put at risk for shakes due to man-made causes, such as oil fracking.