Posts Tagged ‘hhs’

A laptop computer that held a file containing information on every physician in the country contracted with a BlueCross BlueShield-affiliated insurance plan was stolen out of a BCBS employee’s car Aug. 27, creating a possible data breach concern. Read more »

Pfizer Inc. and its subsidiary Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc. have agreed to pay $2.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal promotion of certain pharmaceutical products, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Sept. 2. Read more »

A number of community health centers nationwide will receive a combined total of $25.7 million in stimulus grants in 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Aug. 23.

“These grants could not be coming at a better time,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. “With more than 14.5 million Americans out of work, and 47 million without health insurance, the health centers are seeing more patients now than ever before.” Read more »

Health care providers hemming and hawing over electronic health record (EHR) implementation and the viability of earning financial incentives for “meaningful EHR use” need not worry. The federal government is putting up $1.2 billion to ensure your success. Read more »

Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gary Locke, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held a joint news conference Aug. 19 to announce new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for businesses to prepare for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

Actions Employers Should Take Now

Emphasis was made on businesses implementing a flexible work policy that permitted employees to stay home if they or family members became ill or were exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

DOC Secretary Locke said at the conference, “Some businesses now require workers to provide doctors’ notes or other paperwork to prove that they or their love ones had to miss work because of illness. That’s a requirement that employers should consider dropping.” Such a requirement, Secretary Locke reasoned, would put too much of a burden on health care facilities at a time when they will be operating at full capacity.

Businesses would do well to align with local health departments in adopting common sense policies, federal officials said, such as instructing employees to wash hands frequently and cover coughs. Employers should also encourage employees to receive the flu vaccine and, when available, the H1N1 vaccine. Somewhere between 45 million and 52 million doses of H1N1 vaccine are expected to be available by mid-October, according to an Aug. 21 CDC press briefing.

“Let’s not just play ‘wait and see.’ Let’s be proactive,” said DHS Secretary Napolitano.

Recommended Action Steps under Current Flu Conditions

While it is important for businesses to look after employees, they should also implement certain steps for self preservation. In particular, the CDC recommends businesses prepare for increased numbers of employee absences due to illness, or closure of schools and childcare programs, and plan ways for essential business functions to continue. Recommendations include cross training employees and implementing a work-from-home policy.

Under Conditions with Increased Severity

In the event that conditions worsen, employers should consider active screening of employees who report to work. Other things businesses can do to limit exposure include disinfecting common surfaces, increasing social distancing, and canceling non-essential travel and meetings.

New CDC H1N1 guidance for colleges, universities, and institutions of higher education was also released Aug. 20.

Health care workers can find a plethora of information regarding flu preparedness, such as the CDC planning guide “10 Steps You Can Take: Actions for Novel H1N1 Influenza Planning and Response for Medical Offices and Outpatient Facilities,” available on the Flu.gov Web site.

Health care providers, health plans, and other entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will soon be required to notify individuals in the event their unsecured personal health information (PHI) is breached. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an interim final rule with comment period Aug. 24 providing new regulations regarding the HIPAA notice of breach requirements. Read more »

Approximately 8,000 students and credentialed health care professionals will get the financial backing they need for training by the end of 2010. Read more »

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Aug. 3 that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is the new authority for the administration and enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule.

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A nationwide effort to lower health care associated infections (HAIs) in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) will begin later this month. Twelve states will survey more than 125 local ASCs before Sept. 30, at an estimated cost of $1 million, to identify why there has been an increase in HAIs and what can be done to prevent them, according to a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) July 30 press release.

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The rapid increase of ultrasound services nationwide has Medicare watchdogs on the alert. Health care practitioners who submit Part B claims for technical and professional ultrasound services can expect added scrutiny. A recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) report provides insight as to what Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) will soon be on the lookout for when reviewing imaging service claims.

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