Healthcare Compliance As a highly regulated, high-risk industry, healthcare organizations place the utmost concern on compliance. Healthcare compliance protects both patients and staff, and widely covers areas such as patient safety, data protection, and billing. As such, compliance programs are set in place to ensure organizational...
Top Five Risks Facing the Healthcare Industry The healthcare industry faces unprecedented risks and compounding regulatory compliance requirements. They’re particularly vulnerable due to their heavy involvement in patient personal information, time constraints, and nature of day-to-day operations. Below are what we consider to be the top...
We live in a society where risk is ever present and impossible to avoid, no matter what industry you are in. It is no secret that some industries tend to face higher risk than others, therefor they must take additional precautions. PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and NERC-CIP-01...
In response to the recent release of a study sponsored in part by Johns Hopkins entitled “Hospital-Based Shootings in the United States: 2000-2011," the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety [IAHSS] believes there is some valuable information that was garnered from the evaluation of...
Nearly four out of five high-risk hospitals nationwide have failed to implement safeguards to secure radiological material that could be used in a “dirty bomb,” according to a draft report by congressional investigators. Eleven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks focused attention on the possibility...
Woman arrested at Le Bonheur hospital, accused of making threats A woman was arrested at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital on Monday after allegedly claiming to have a gun and threatening to kill security officers. Police responded to the hospital shortly after 3 p.m., when security officers had...
Alaska's Health and Social Services CSO Offers Lessons Learned Thor Ryan, chief security officer at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, offers lessons learned as a result of his organization's $1.7 million settlement following a HIPAA compliance investigation triggered by a small breach incident. The...
Hospital, Attorney General, at Odds Over Records Access A criminal and public health investigation in New Hampshire involving a former hospital worker who allegedly infected dozens of patients with Hepatitis C is turning into a patient a privacy debate. New Hampshire' attorney general next week plans to...
Federal Privacy Officer Offers Insights What's the best way to prepare to comply with HITECH Stage 2 privacy and security requirements? Federal privacy officer Joy Pritts advises healthcare organizations to start by conducting a thorough risk assessment. A risk assessment helps hospitals and physicians "identify potential areas...
Experts Sort Through Privacy, Security Provisions Some privacy and security experts that have dug into the 1,446 pages of final rules for Stage 2 of the HITECH electronic health record incentive program say they are mostly pleased with provisions included to protect patient data (see: HITECH...