New Human Trafficking Educational Requirements For Michigan Health Care Professionals
Posted by Donna Craig in Mar, 2017
The prevalence of human trafficking has reached alarming levels in the United States. In an effort to address this widespread crisis, individuals licensed or registered by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (nurses, professional counselors, physicians, social workers, massage therapists, etc.) have a new continuing educational requirement which must be met when seeking […]
HIPAA Privacy Rule Modified To Identify Those Prohibited From Possessing Firearms
Posted by Donna Craig in Jan, 2016
On January 6, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a Final Rule that modifies the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) Privacy Rule to allow a subset of covered entities to disclose to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (“NICS”) the names of individuals who are mentally unfit […]
Category: HIPAA
Will You Be Ready For The ICD-10 Code Transition?
Posted by Donna Craig in Jan, 2015
On October 1, 2015 physicians and other health care providers will need to use the new ICD-10 Codes when billing for services rendered to their patients. In order to be ready, health care providers and IT vendors need to work together to ensure software systems are capable of making the transition to the new ICD-10 […]
Category: Electronic Health Records
Are You Unknowingly Violating HIPAA In Your Office Practice?
Posted by Donna Craig in Jan, 2015
Using electronic media to communicate with others is a fact of life. But when health care providers send emails to patients, they may be in violation of HIPAA. To protect patients’ protected health information and avoid being the subject of HIPAA complaints consider the following: Does your Notice of Privacy Practices allow for protected health […]
Category: HIPAA
Beware — On July 1st, Your Professional License Will Be At Greater Risk!
Posted by Donna Craig in May, 2014
On July 1, 2014 four new laws will go into effect in Michigan that will significantly impact how more than 30 categories of licensed and registered professionals (physicians, acupuncturists, massage therapists, dentists, nurses, social workers, etc.) will be investigated and disciplined under the public health code. Most concerning is that these new provisions may not […]
Incident Reports: The Facts You Include May Not Be Considered Confidential
Posted by Donna Craig in Feb, 2014
Hospitals, clinics, and other health care providers, take note – the information you include in patient and physician incident reports may be discoverable in medical malpractice suits. On January 30, 2014 the Michigan Court of Appeals decided Harrison v Munson Healthcare, Inc., which addressed the medical peer review privilege. A patient filed a malpractice lawsuit […]
Category: HIPAA
Michigan Senate Passes Bill That Impacts How Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Practice
Posted by Donna Craig in Nov, 2013
On November 13, 2013 the Michigan Senate narrowly passed Senate Bill 2 which would give advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) more autonomy, and allow them to practice without the oversight by physicians. The Senate bill would require APRNs to be under the supervision of a physician for four years after enactment of the legislation, or […]