Stolen Flash Drive Costs Practice $150K

An unencrypted USB drive has ended up costing one dermatology practice $150K in fines. The device, containing ePHI relating to Mohs surgery on approximately 2,200 patients, was stolen from a staff member’s car on September 14, 2011. The drive was never recovered. The practice notified patients of the breach within 30 days of its discovery,…

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Affordable legal advice is here!

Working Americans and their families face a myriad of legal issues almost daily, and legal problems know no economic boundaries. All income levels experience legal issues or events at about the same rate. But a recent Legal Needs Study showed that, although 57 million full-time working Americans experienced at least one significant legal event in…

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What Not to Say to a HIPAA Auditor

Here are Linda’s top three responses to avoid when a HIPAA auditor shows up at your doorstep: We’re closed for lunch. Can you come back tomorrow? We paid our fines last year. We have nothing in place; we are so glad to see you because we need your help. There is no time like the…

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Risk Academy Success!

Thanks to everyone who helped make the inaugural Risk Academy a huge success this summer. Here’s what two VIPs from the Risk Management academy had to say about this premier event: “It was one of the best classes! I learned how to be more organized using the Van Write Mind Mapping Technique. We also discussed…

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Nine Tips for Creating and Using Good Passwords

By Linda Harvey, RDH, MS We have become so comfortable with using passwords that we sometimes cut corners when creating or using them. But it is important to remember that, when we use passwords and User IDs to log into computers or websites, we must use the same care in safeguarding our patients’ privacy as…

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When HIPAA Comes Knocking

By Linda Harvey, RDH, MS Knock, Knock Who’s there? OCR OCR, who? Oh see, are your HIPAA Policies up to date? According to the 2011 Second Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy & Data Security by The Ponemon Institute, data breaches are on the rise—and most of them are caused by employee mishaps. Recently, I…

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Go Team! Utilizing a Team Approach for Patient Safety

By Linda Harvey, RDH, MS Just as it takes a team to win a football game, it takes a concerted approach to provide consistent quality care in the dental office. Risk management and patient safety can be thought of as a football team: every team consists of offensive and defensive players; each player possessing a…

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The Many Faces of Safety

by Linda Harvey, RDH, MS, Licensed Healthcare Risk Manager June marked the celebration of the National Safety Council’s (NSC) National Safety Month. Chartered in 1913, the NSC is a not-for-profit organization that promotes safety of Americans at home, on the roads, and at work. The NSC dedicates each week in June to a different aspect…

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