Reource Bank
Free report helps you keep step with HIPAA
Atlantic Information Services (AIS) in Washington, DC, recently launched the Report on Patient Privacy to address the complex issues of protecting the privacy and confidentiality of patient medical information under the final Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule. The first issue of the publication included these topics:
- how much patient information clinicians can share with each other as they discuss diagnoses and map treatment strategies;
- challenges for hospitals, and health maintenance organizations posed by the final HIPAA rules;
- questions raised by the interaction of HIPAA, state laws, court actions and contractual restrictions;
- cautionary advice for clinical researchers;
- identifying gaps in current practices and practices mandated under HIPAA.
To receive a free copy of the Report on Patient Privacy, call AIS customer service at (800) 521-4323. In addition, AIS is cosponsoring an on-line HIPAA compliance discussion group with eCompliance.com, an Internet portal that brings together information, products, and services for health care compliance. The free discussion group is designed to help health care professionals exchange ideas and information on HIPAA-related issues. The site is located at www.eHIPAAcompliance.com.
Resource helps patients understand their pain
Pritchett & Hull in Atlanta recently released "Pain Management" tearpads that help health care organizations meet the Oakbrook Terrace, IL-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ 2001 pain management standards. One side of the pain management tearpad provides patients with tips for identifying and managing pain. The other side provides a pain scale and a useful chart for tracking pain and the treatments used to control it.
In all, Pritchett & Hull has released 26 new tearpad titles for 2001. The 8 ½ x 11," double-sided tearpads cost $10 for a pad of 50. For the "Pain Management" tearpad, request item #362. Other new titles include:
- "Cardiac Catheterization" (#370);
- "CHF and Blood Pressure" (#369);
- "CHF and Exercise" (#366);
- "CHF and Weight" (#368):
- "CHF Learning" (#367);
- "Stents" (#363);
- "Diabetes Diary" (#355);
- "Understanding Type I Diabetes" (#333);
- "Understanding Type II Diabetes" (#334).
Samples of all Pritchett & Hull tearpads can be viewed on-line at www.p-h.com. To order, contact Pritchett & Hull, 3440 Oakcliff Road, NE, Suite 110, Atlanta, GA 30340-3079. Telephone: (800) 241-4925. Fax: (800) 752-0510.
Baxter launches renal education program
Baxter Healthcare in Deerfield, IL, recently launched "Stay in Touch," an integrated education initiative for people at risk for or diagnosed with kidney disease. The education program offers case managers and nurse educators an Internet-based tool, a toll-free hotline and a series of customized educational mailings that are timed to a patient’s progressive needs.
The integrated approach is designed to help meet the needs of kidney patients as they struggle to understand their disease and make informed decisions about their care. Internet-based education is available at www.kidneydirections.com. The Web site gives patients convenient access to customized tools and information resources. Case managers and nurse educators can also use the site to deliver education to their patients. The site was developed by a medical advisory board with expertise in kidney disease.
The "Stay in Touch" educational mailing program was piloted last year in six states and is now available nationwide. This outreach initiative brings education right to the patients’ doors, offering resources that provide insight into the progression of the disease and its impact on patients’ lives. The goal of the mailing program is to promote earlier diagnosis and referrals to appropriate specialists and help patients make positive, long-term adjustments to their lifestyles.
The program is augmented by kidney patient educators who are available in areas with high concentrations of people with kidney disease. Baxter has already provided individualized education through nurses to more than 21,000 patients nationwide through referrals by more than 900 physicians. The nurses educate patients about kidney function, kidney failure, and the various treatment options.
People who are at risk or have been diagnosed with kidney disease can enroll in "Stay in Touch" by calling (888) 233-6651, or by registering on-line at www.kidneydirections.com. Case managers may also register their patients in this program using the same contact information.
Order free caregiver survival kit from NFCA
Novartis Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover, NJ, and the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) in Kensington, MD, recently teamed up to create the "Caregiver Survival Kit" for the family and friends of Alzheimer’s patients. The kit includes the following resources:
- a copy of NFCA’s newsletter, Take Care!, which provides advice and resources for caregivers;
- several NFCA educational pamphlets designed to help caregivers take better care of themselves;
- an educational video featuring actress and television personality Linda Dano that covers diagnosis, treatment, and caregiving;
- a brochure written by Dano in which she shares her caregiving experiences during the three-year period she cared for her father as he suffered with Alzheimer’s.
Case managers may order the free kit for the family and friends of their Alzheimer’s patients by calling (877) 439-3566, or on-line at www.nfcacares.org.
NFCA educates, supports, and advocates for the estimated 25% of American adults who care for their ill, aged, or disabled loved ones. The organization addresses the common needs and concerns of all family caregivers — not just those caring for Alzheimer’s patients. More information on the organization and its resources is available on the NFCA web site at www.nfcacares.org.
Annual report finds organ donations down in ’90s
The gap between organ transplants and the number of patients waiting for an organ transplant more than doubled in the 1990s, according to a report prepared by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, VA.
Between 1990 and 1999 the number of Americans waiting for organ transplants more than tripled from 21,914 in 1990 to 72,110 at the end of 1999, according to the recently released 2000 Annual Report of the U.S. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Annual cadaveric and living donor transplants increased at a much slower rate, going from 15,009 in 1990 to 21,715 in 1999.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content