Tenet Healthcare Corp. is asking patients nationwide to watch for credit fraud since police arrested an employee for stealing patient information. The former employee worked in Tenet's billing office in Frisco, Texas, where he had access to 40,000 of the office's 4 million accounts. He was arrested Nov. 25, 2007, when he tried to open a Costco credit card using a state ID with fraudulent information, police said.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's net profit dropped 70 percent in the first six months of this fiscal year. The decrease is due largely to a sizable drop in its investment income, a $10 million outlay to a city tuition program and depreciation costs from the system's many improvement projects. Officials representing the system, however, are asking that attention be paid to a measure of cash flow showing the nonprofit earning $260 million before interest expense, depreciation and amortization.
North Carolina leaders are vowing to pay for hospital tests done on patients examined for sexual assault. Under the state's current system, hospitals bill a patient's private insurer for a rape exam. The state sets aside about $258,000 a year to help cover rape kit exams for uninsured people. Reimbursements, however, are capped at $1,000, even though the average bill tops $1,600. While some hospitals forgive the balance, others do not.
The Jefferson Parish Council has appointed former parish administrator Nancy Cassagne to lead West Jefferson Medical Centerin Marrero, LA. Cassagne had filled the job on an interim basis since the previous chief executive resigned in October 2007. The unanimous approval came the same week that anonymous complaints were made about Cassagne not meeting the requirements set out by the state Department of Health and Hospitals.
Security may not be the top priority on your practice's implementation list, but it certainly is essential. It reduces liability, protects a practice's reputation, and guards other areas that could put your small, large, or private practice out of production.
The bottom line to successfully address security regulations and safety measures is to have an organized security plan, which should include the following three elements: adequate, regular training, current and communicative policies and procedures, and employee knowledge of government sanctions.
"Developing a sound security program is only effective in how it's built," says Chris Apgar, CISSP, president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, OR. "Part of the plan is what security measures to follow, what are my needs. You need to put that together in an organized fashion."
Use these five steps to develop a successful staff plan and see results:
1. Research the best places to get information (e.g., HIPAA Academy).
2. Implement changes as needed. Set up a tool to easily insert new information into the system.
3. Staff training: Sign confidentiality agreements, documentation, and policies and procedures, and follow government sanctions.
4. Conduct a risk assessment, audit, and/or analysis. The assessment is the first way to prioritize the most important areas, examine the threats, and identify what is already in place for your plan. The audit is a way to detect what has happened with risk management areas of your practice.
5. Evaluation helps determine whether changes are working in the practice, whether the plan is effective, and whether there have been any significant changes in the market.
Shannon Sousa is the editor of The Doctor's Office. She may be reached at ssousa@hcpro.com. This story was adapted from one that first appeared in the February edition of The Doctor's Office, a monthly newsletter by HealthLeaders Media.
A bill that would expand the role of physician assistants has passed in the New Mexico Senate. The bill would allow physician assistants to direct the use of a prescription device, help assess functional impairment and be included in a list of practitioners that an individual may select for treatment of an illness or injury within the terms and limits of the individual's insurance coverage plan.