Events & Resources

With the publication in 2014 of the CMS “Open Payments” database, which makes all payments to physicians from Pharmaceutical and Medical Device companies available in a searchable database, conflicts of interest has become a hot-button issue in healthcare.

With so much negative press coming out daily about compliance and so many sweeping changes being enacted in the human resources realm, especially in healthcare, there is no better time to make sure that your organization is in order.

CMS expects HealthStream and healthcare facilities to fully comply with all of the official protocols for each CAHPS survey. This is especially complicated because the rules are not consistent between programs.

The hospice industry has been subject to increasing regulation by governmental and accrediting entities. To stay up-to-date in this rapidly changing environment—and to continue to provide effective interventions for patients nearing the end of life—continuing education is a must.

A CIA requires significant attention, data collection, legal defense, negotiation, new systems, new policies, oversight, and enforcement, possibly for many years. Healthcare facilities of all types, including hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, long-term care, physician groups, and more have all seen increases in CIAs. Yet, these organizations often struggle with what to do if a recipient of one.

In healthcare settings, the impetus to use social media is no different than in any other industry. When used correctly, it is an excellent tool that can increase awareness of hospital services, create a two-way dialogue with patients, families, and the community, and improve the patient experience. At the same time, we are all aware of stories about the misuse of social media in the workplace

One of the challenges that governmental and institutional authorities face in evaluating the efficacy and cost effectiveness of therapeutics is determining who to rely on for technical and scientific support. On one hand, who better to explain the relative advantages of a new product than the inventor of a device, or the researcher who has overseen the development of a new and promising drug? On the other hand, who could be more invested in a favorable determination on safety and effectiveness?

The healthcare industry has passed the “if” stage of cyber-attacks and is now asking “when.” And, it’s no surprise cyber criminals have adjusted their targets. With patient records fetching 50 times more money on the black market than financial data and only 33% of healthcare facilities reporting their current cyber security posture as “very effective,” hackers have all the incentives in the world to breach your cyber defenses and steal patient data.

Can you confidently say that your training initiatives are effective, that your employees are well trained, and that patients are safe? Do you have reliable data that allows you to strategically deploy training and manage your training costs? Are you prepared for your next audit? KnowledgeQ® is HealthStream’s answer to the healthcare industry’s demand for a strategic approach to annual mandatory training. The stakes are too high to continue a “check-the-box” exercise that offers almost no visibility into the cost of delivering training and whether expenditures could be eliminated or redirected to more effective initiatives.

In today’s NFL not much is private. On any given Sunday, viewers are inundated with information about players’ personal and professional lives. One of the few stones left unturned when it comes to privacy are players’ medical records. For all their fame and fortune, when it comes to HIPAA, they are covered just like the rest of us. So when a report recently surfaced that a laptop containing medical records of thousands of players had been stolen from a Washington Redskins staff member, two relatively unrelated industries, healthcare and sports, made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Last month we looked at the growing problem of ransomware and the potentially devastating impact it can have on systems, patient information and the entire operations of your facility. Ransomware is just one of many security issues that every facility needs to be concerned with and take steps to prevent. The list of security concerns includes physical security, social engineering, phishing, social media, mobile devices, access to patient records, malicious software and more.

Imagine you come into work one morning and the entire computer network is shut down and all files are inaccessible! That’s what happened to a friend of mine who owns a business in New Jersey. On their network were two letters from hackers that had hacked into their computer system overnight – one that contained a link where they could get their ENCRYPTED files and network back and another that told them how to get the special software key needed to decrypt those files.

Like Chipotle, your organization may have a social media policy that bars employees from making “disparaging, false” statements about the company. Chipotle’s intended policy to protect their public image from unflattering social media posts by their employees.

Each year there are new and expanded healthcare regulations that must be understood, addressed and communicated to staff. The pace of regulations and responsibilities continues to accelerate. Recent examples include patient engagement, ICD-10, readmissions reduction, Healthcare Associated Infections, physician arrangements, and on and on and on. These are the shiny, new puppies that grab our attention. Because they are (relatively) new, we devote a lot of attention to these issues as there is a need to develop plans of action for each new area. At the same time, you need to remain vigilant on older regulations.

A new proposed rule (42 C.F.R. Part 483, Subpart B) from CMS is highlighting the Federal government’s increased scrutiny on post-acute facilities and includes new training requirements. This new rule details stringent compliance requirements that long term care facilities must follow in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

If you thought that the Federal government’s spotlight that has shined on healthcare compliance programs over the last almost two decades would abate anytime soon, you need to take a closer look at recent activity. Rulings, guidance and advisories from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) show that the pace of new regulations and the scrutiny on compliance programs continues to increase. All of this new activity requires diligence from compliance, regulatory and accreditation officers to reduce risk, protect the organization and keep senior leadership in compliance and out of trouble.

In the next few years organizations will begin to tap into the enormous amount of real-time and historical data available and use that information to make decisions about and improve their business. These same concepts apply to healthcare training.

Demonstrated Competency is a learning feature that provides significant benefits for learners and learning administrators. What is the biggest complaint from learners? “Training takes too much time!”

The Office of Inspector General has released a new document for health care Governing Boards that provides guidance for proper compliance oversight. The document reiterates the Board’s responsibility to oversee and review an organization’s compliance program. It helps Boards understand that oversight is a serious responsibility designed to undercover potential risks and compliance issues.

Over the last few months, the country was gripped by the story of a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland and spread to cities around the country. This outbreak was part of an upward trend. The CDC reported more than 600 cases of measles in 2014, and as of the end of February, 170 cases had been reported in just the first two months of 2015. Before 2014, the number of measles cases had exceeded 200 in only one year since 2001. Many in the medical community have pointed to the increase in the number of unvaccinated children as the main reason for this sudden increase in cases.