Gaps in mobile security remain a threat to your protected health information (PHI) and leave you vulnerable to HIPAA violations, so train and, if necessary, limit employee use to reduce the risk.
Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets were once considered a risky proposition in...
Advances in healthcare delivery continue at an exponential speed. Technologies, procedures, and treatments that were not even dreamed of several years ago are now realities. It is certain that, as a medical staff leader, you will be faced with the inevitable request from one of your medical...
To carry out board-delegated responsibilities, an effective medical staff needs to control the quality of care rendered by medical staff members and other practitioners granted clinical privileges and to provide a structure whereby physicians have input in the institution’s decision-making....
CMS, accrediting agencies, and state regulations enumerate myriad functions that medical staffs must address. These functions can be addressed in bylaws but may be better articulated in medical staff policies. The ultimate responsibility for all medical staff functions lies with the medical...
With the new year officially in full swing, it’s a good time to reflect on documentation findings from surveys during the past year and develop an action plan to be ready for surveys in 2019. Although the record of care, treatment, and services did not receive a place in the top 10 Requirements...
When a performance issue surfaces during a review process, maintaining strict confidentiality becomes crucial for both the practitioner and the facility. Due to the sensitive nature of poor findings—and the potential backlash from leaking information to the general membership—medical staff...
As a medical staff leader, it is important to understand that the days of a medical staff secretary in a medical staff office are history. It is true that in years past, the work was primarily clerical and secretarial. However, as healthcare has evolved and grown in complexity...
In the 16th century, Francis Bacon coined the phrase, “Knowledge is power.” For MSPs, this could not be truer. As the gatekeepers of patient safety, every piece of knowledge that MSPs hold is crucial. MSPs vet practitioners, slowly gathering bits and pieces of information, to ensure that only...
All hospitals/medical staffs need policies that address the issue of impaired practitioners, whether the condition is due to substance abuse (e.g., alcohol, drugs), mental or physical impairment, or other behavioral issues. Medical staff bylaws are generally insufficient to deal with this issue...
We began this series talking about “tribes.” As physicians, we belong to a very exclusive and circumscribed club of clinicians who inherently distrust anyone not a member of that tribe. In the hospital setting, this often plays out as “us” (the medical staff) versus “them” (the hospital...
