Monthly Archives: June 2009
What if your laptop containing PHI gets lost or stolen?
Just imagine this… A doctor’s laptop containing Personal Health Information of about 1,000 patients gets stolen or lost. What is to be done next? The first issue which comes to the mind in this scenario is that PHI should never be stored in a laptop in the first place. The correct practice would be to … Continue reading
Unemployed recently and looking for insurance options?
If you have been recently unemployed and in addition, if you have health problems, the basic problem before you is how to stay insured in this testing time of unemployment. We assure you here that the laws definitely are there to help you out. One option is Cobra which says that you can get an … Continue reading
Patient privacy at risk with microcomputing
With the development of technology, hand-held devices such as Palm Pilots, Pocket PCs, RIMs and smartphones have become a a greater and better choice for people in medical industry as they are small, portable and comfortable. However, the risks associated with these devices cannot be ignored as they can lead to leakage of patient’s confidential … Continue reading
The Herculean task of implementing EHRs on a wide scale
President Obama has issued a new set of rules in an attempt to modernize healthcare industry. One such stimulus package issued by Obama includes incorporation of an EHR system to reduce “preventable medical errors.” Though the outcomes seem promising, the task of implementing the EHRs is definitely not without hurdles. One major drawback in an … Continue reading
Protections under HIPAA and Virginia Law
Even before the Virginia General Assembly passed laws implementing the requirements of HIPAA, the laws of the state already met or exceeded these new federal standards prior to the implementation of HIPAA. HIPAA and the laws in Virginia ensure these following benefits for its citizens: 1. If you are starting a new job, you may … Continue reading
The alarming rise in Medical Identity Thefts
There has been an alarming rise in Medical Identity Thefts in America in recent years, thanks to the increased use of electronic medical records systems built without extensive safeguards. The worst part of this scene is that people are usually unaware that they are the victims of this theft and that their medical information has … Continue reading
Healthcare options for you after retirement
With escalating health care costs, the companies are reducing coverage or are asking for more pay from employees. This makes it a necessity for retirees to budget for health coverage which indeed turns out to be a hefty job. If you need to find insurance for yourself, either start your search at the Web site … Continue reading
Adhering to HIPAA as a medical transcriptionist working from home
In order to have a good reputation as a medical transcriptionist, you not only need to have a quality work record, you are also to be reliable enough for keeping confidential all the medical data that pass your hands. Medical transcriptionists working in a medical transcription company usually adheres to the Health Insurance Portability and … Continue reading
Parental access to child’s medical records as per HIPAA
The HIPAA Privacy Rule generally allows a parent to have access to the medical records about his or her child, as his or her minor child’s personal representative when such access is not inconsistent with State or other law. However, the exceptions to this when the parent would not be the minor’s personal representative under … Continue reading
Difference between consent & authorization under the HIPAA Privacy Rule
The Privacy Rule permits, but does not require, a covered entity voluntarily to obtain patient consent for uses and disclosures of protected health information for treatment, payment, and health care operations. Covered entities that do so have complete discretion to design a process that best suits their needs. An authorization is a detailed document that … Continue reading