Faced with rising demand from patients with mental health problems, Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, CA, is using telemedicine to connect many of these patients with psychiatrists. With input from the psychiatrists, emergency physicians feel more comfortable initiating treatment for these patients, many of whom can then be discharged with instructions to pursue outpatient follow-up.
The Joint Commission (TJC) is calling on health care organizations to develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent the misuse of vials.
Unsafe injection practices with respect to the misuse and unsafe use of vials is being targeted by The Joint Commission (TJC).
Two organizations will pay a combined $4.8 million to settle a case sparked by a breach of protected health information (PHI). The settlement is the largest ever for a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) will begin conducting desk audits for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in October 2014. These audits will be conducted remotely by requesting compliance documentation.
A growing number of patient access areas offer self-service options with online registration or kiosks. Registration times decreased by almost 50% after kiosks were implemented at five of Integris Healths hospitals.
