When the first Ebola patient was brought back to the US, I took a lot of flack from some folks on LinkedIn when I questioned whether EMS and Emergency Departments in the US would get exposed to this threat long before they realized it and opined that emergency providers would be at the front line … Read more
Have you ever noticed that part in the Meaningful Use standards that requires an annual risk assessment of EMR security? Privacy professionals have stressed the risk assessment as critical to both meaningful use and HIPAA/HITECH compliance, but healthcare organizations tend to procrastinate on taking the time, effort, or money to do and up-date the assessments. … Read more
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule August 28 that allows health care providers more flexibility in how they use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (CEHRT) to meet meaningful use reporting requirements. CMS modified the standards as reports surfaced that many providers were planning on dropping out of the … Read more
Hospitals might be surprised to learn that HIPAA violations can not only result in federal fines, but also in fines from more than one state if the breach involves out-of-state residents. Under the HITECH Act, state Attorneys General also have enforcement and fine capabilities, but as states get more into privacy legislation, some states are … Read more
Patient presented to Hospital 1 with chief complaint of pain in back and pain and numbness in right leg. A medical screening examination was conducted with a CT ordered. During the CT scan the patient had erratic blood pressures requiring fluid boluses. The CT scan revealed a massive ruptured AAA with no blood flow to … Read more
Local EMS was called to a nursing home in response to a resident who had pulled out her tracheostomy tube. Upon arrival, the patient was actively bleeding from the stoma, began coughing, and coughed out approximately 30 cc of clotted blood. EMS notified the local hospital that they would be bringing the patient to the … Read more
Police officers brought a minor patient to the hospital by squad car, upon arrival at the emergency department ramp, the hospital advised by radio that they were on diversion. He entered the hospital emergency department and requested that a nurse come to the squad car, and requested that the hospital accept the patient. The officer … Read more
Very few videos make it to this website, but this stirring video by a 15-year-old speaks eloquently for our troops and has been viewed by more than 31 million Americans. I would like to share it with you.
Patient #1 presented to the ED seeking an MRI, but the hospital did not have the mobile MRI on-site that day. The patient had seen an eye doctor earlier in the day who had been concerned following an eye exam and recommended the patient go to a hospital for an MRI. The RN then asked … Read more
Patient #26 was brought to the hospital by local police for an involuntary psych process. According to police reports, they were advised by hospital personnel that the hospital no longer had an available psych bed and the patient would have to be transferred to the other hospital in town. The patient was transferred to the … Read more