By Kaitlyn Houseman – Text messaging is fully integrated into millions of people’s lives and is a convenient, less obtrusive alternative to the phone call. Many physicians wonder how to incorporate text message communication into their practices.
Read More
By David Harlow – We are awash in digital health data. And we are awash in multiple regulatory schemas designed to protect privacy, security and appropriate access to all this data. Some data is “traditional” health care data governed by the familiar patchwork of federal and state statutes and regulations (rhymes with “HIPAA”).
Who doesn’t like a good list? Whether you are on it, know someone on it, or aspire to be on it, you always want to read the list. Here are some interesting lists I think deserve sharing, top #HIT100, best hospitals, Most Wired Hospitals, best value Dual MBA & Health Management Degrees, best places to work, best work perks.
By Matt Fisher – After promising to provide guidance and insight for a breaking issue, the OCR came out with ransomware guidance under HIPAA. One major issue for debate was whether a ransomware attack constitutes a HIPAA breach. The guidance provides insight into where OCR is coming from and what it expects the industry to do in response to a ransomware attack.
By Karen B. DeSalvo MD & Jocelyn Samuels – Many of us now use wearables and other types of health information technology to help us manage our health and the health of our loved ones. These fitness trackers and other technologies are changing the way we interact and control our own health.
By William A. Hyman – Discussions of HIPAA and HIPAA violations are common in these pages, and are of course important for those subject to the requirements and wrath of HIPAA. I have also heard that “What about HIPAA?” is a question that can kill an app developer’s bid for funding.
By Bob Grant – The HHS Office for Civil Rights released an updated Audit Protocol that it plans to use while investigating health care entities for HIPAA compliance. The biggest change to the audit protocol is the distinction that OCR has made between what’s required of Business Associates and Covered Entities.
By Bob Grant – The HHS Office for Civil Rights announced that NY Presbyterian Hospital would be required to pay a $2.2M settlement after the “egregious disclosure” of two patients’ protected health information. NYP allowed an ABC film crew and staff from the show “NY Med” to film two patients, one of whom was dying, and another experiencing serious distress.
By Jonathan Krasner – On April 27, CMS came out with a proposed rule on how physicians will get paid under MACRA. The new system is premised on tying physician payments to quality and value, and is directly related to the Triple Aim of providing better care, lower costs, and improved health.