One of the riskiest times for patients comes when they are leaving the hospital and heading home or to aftercare. This is the time when medications are mixed up, follow-up doctors' appointments are missed, or discharge instructions get lost in the fax machine. Poor handoffs with poor communication can lead to unnecessary readmissions.
It's no longer a mere possibility; the Department of Health and Human Services HHS has confirmed its intent to delay the ICD-10 compliance deadline, according to its latest press release.
2012 is upon us, and for many healthcare organization leaders, the ticking clock of healthcare reform just got a lot louder. In a mere two years, the incentives to implement EHRs will end, and penalties for those that have failed to comply will begin.
Navigating the new world of social media is challenging for many professions, but perhaps none more so than the medical profession, where physicians and other healthcare professionals must balance a tell-all online culture with the HIPAA Privacy Rule's mandate to protect patient privacy.
