Throughout the years, this column has focused on the important role the electronic document management system (EDMS) plays as the official legal health record (LHR) within a healthcare organization, and especially as a critical workflow tool for the HIM department. I am always surprised to hear that there are still some facilities that haven't figured this out and purchased an EDMS.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have announced the release of two proposed rules designed to improve care delivery and experience and to enhance the sharing of electronic health information.
It has been a long time since The Joint Commission has published frequently asked questions (FAQ), which serve as a great resource for clarification of standards and elements of performance. Generally, FAQs originate with questions from the field that continue to be asked over time.
Q: I realize that you cannot compel your staff to complete Occupational Safety and Health Administration training online on their own time. However, I am wondering whether the same applies for HIPAA training. Must this training be conducted during work hours, or can we provide workforce members with a deadline by which to complete training on their own time?
CMS' Conditions of Participation for UR include specific requirements for the composition of the UR committee, specifying that it must be composed of at least two doctors of medicine or osteopathy.
Criminal attacks on the healthcare industry have increased 125% since 2010, and are now the leading cause of data breaches at healthcare organizations, according to the results of a study released by the Ponemon Institute in May 2015. At the same time, the study says many hospitals and business associates (BA) are unprepared and cannot ensure patients' privacy against these attacks.
