New Edition of HIPAA Deskbook Released

My daughter has just released the second edition of her HIPAA Deskbook on Amazon. She used college vacations to expand the previous edition by more than 100 pages at dad’s prompting so I would have an expanded resource on my desk rather than searching a computer. I like to highlight and mark frequently-used sources and … Read more

Critical Access hospital fined $20,000 for transfer of orthopedic patient.

An alleged failure to call in an on-call orthopedic surgeon and an apparent disagreement on what constitutes “Trauma” for transfer to a Trauma Center ultimately was resolved with $20,000 Office of Inspector General (OIG) settlement on charges against a Critical Access (fewer than 25 beds) hospital in Tennessee (December 2014). Maximum fines for violations by … Read more

Tennessee hospital fined $40,000 for patient dumping allegation.

A Tennessee hospital settled an Office of Inspector General (OIG) action for Civil Monetary Penalty (fine) for $40,000 in January 2015 on allegations stemming from a 2011 citation against the hospital for an alleged “patient dumping” violation. In reaching the settlement, the hospital did not admit any wrong-doing. The incident reportedly stems from an incident … Read more

Kansas hospital fined $45,000 for referring OB patient to her private doctor.

A $45,000 settlement has been reached on an Office of Inspector General (OIG) Civil Monetary Penalty (fine) against a Kansas Hospital for an alleged failure to provide an adequate medical screening exam. The OIG charged that the hospital failed to provide an adequate medical exam when a woman presented to the hospital’s emergency department 38 … Read more

New OSHA Reporting Rule Now In Effect

As of January 1, 2015: All employers* must report: All work-related fatalities within 8 hours Within 24 hours, all work-related: Inpatient hospitalizations Amputations Losses of an eye How to Report Incident Call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) Call your nearest OSHA area office, during normal business hours (www.osha.gov/html/RAmap.html)

Ebola vs EMTALA

Since the Ebola issue came to the US, I have been getting questions from hospitals — and especially critical access hospitals — about whether CDC guidelines or EMTALA requirements are more important. The answer is YOU NEED TO COMPLY WITH BOTH. Join us on November 11 AT 1 PM CST for the first in our … Read more