September 13, 2013 John DeGaspari
Identity theft is a serious crime that can destroy the credit rating of victims and take years to set straight. A growing subset of the crime is medical identity theft, the subject of 2013 Survey on Medical Identity Theft, a report released by the Ponemon Institute this week; all of the survey’s respondents have experienced some form of medical identity theft.
August 16, 2013 John DeGaspari
With open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace set to begin October 1, it’s worth taking a look at how informed the public is on state-operated insurance exchanges. The answer to that depends on the state where you live.
July 23, 2013 John DeGaspari
How prepared is your provider organization against cyber threats? A recent special report, “Cyber Security and Investigations,” released by Kroll Inc., a New York-based corporate investigation and risk assessment firm, points to often-overlooked areas of data security, and offers practical tips for bolstering security in those areas.
June 14, 2013 John DeGaspari
It’s a fact of life that everyone’s reflexes slow down with age, and most of us lucky enough to live to advanced age and still have a driver’s license eventually will need to consider giving up the privilege of driving. After all, driving is intertwined with all kinds of effects of aging—not only slower reflexes but poor eyesight, inability to make quick decisions, or side effects of medications. According to a recent study, clinicians are often the first to bring up the topic with elderly drivers of handing over the car keys, and I think healthcare IT can play a role in helping drivers make the transition.
May 30, 2013 John DeGaspari
With a fast-approaching date for compliance to the Final Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), business associates and their subcontractors are being thrust into a world where they will be held accountable for protecting health information. Many of those entities may be caught unprepared or even unaware that they are considered a business associate. That can expose them to substantial penalties when the HHS Office for Civil Rights is expected to commence routine HIPAA compliance audits in September.
May 28, 2013 John DeGaspari
How can public-private partnerships drive better health and quality of life? One example of such an initiative is the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), which has collaborated with physicians and hospitals to create a community-wide care-coordination system for New Orleans.
April 25, 2013 John DeGaspari
The findings of a comprehensive data breach report released by Verizon this week suggests that no industry is immune to cybercrime, and that the experiences of other affected industries can provide lessons for healthcare providers to safeguard their data.
March 5, 2013 John DeGaspari
In his closing keynote on a session on meaningful use on Sunday, Mark Probst, vice president of information systems and CIO of Intermountain Healthcare, expressed optimism that the healthcare industry on the right track on improving patient care and coordination of care providers. Probst, who is also a member of the HHS Health Information Technology Policy Committee, also advocated a holistic approach to improving healthcare. He noted that interoperability and standardization is key to allowing that to happen.
March 4, 2013 John DeGaspari
At a pre-conference session on meaningful use on Sunday, Mac McMillan, chairman and CEO of CynergisTek, Inc., Austin, Texas, advised provider organizations to be prepared for privacy and security audits associated with meaningful use attestation.
March 1, 2013 John DeGaspari
What’s the status of provider organizations with regard to ICD-10 implementation? A snapshot survey by Aloft Group, a Newburyport, Mass. healthcare branding and marketing firm, gives some indication.
