Marcy A. Metzgar
Healthcare practices, like hospitals, need to be ready for the tragic reality of an active shooter at their location. However, unlike hospitals, they have fewer people to protect and cover less square feet. Despite the physical environment of a healthcare practice, having an emergency preparedness plan in place that addresses an active shooter situation is critical.
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Laura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM
In today’s connected world, the need to protect proprietary and sensitive information is increasingly challenging. As technology continues to expand and evolve, cybersecurity has become a preeminent concern for many industries, including healthcare. Complex networks and data exchanges, cloud-based services, social media, online portals, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence (AI), and other technologies have introduced opportunities and efficiencies but also potential threats.
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Laura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM
Behavioral health issues have escalated in recent years and pose serious public health and patient safety concerns. About 23 percent of adults in the United States have a behavioral health condition; 20 percent of adolescents report having a major depressive episode in the last year; and only half of people who have mental illnesses receive treatment.1
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Marcy A. Metzgar
Point-of-care testing (POCT) is performed close to the patient, permitting swift delivery of test results for diagnosis and treatment. It can play a major part in diagnosing illness because results can be ready in 30 minutes or less.1 More advantages of POCT include its portability, absence of storage requirements, small sample volumes, availability of various tests, minimal processing requirements, and usability in the clinical workflow.2
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Corporate compliance is a concept that broadly applies to a range of corporate entities and refers to the processes these organizations follow to adhere to regulations and ethical standards. In healthcare, corporate compliance refers to an organization’s commitment to, and procedures for, detecting and preventing violations of state and federal laws, establishing expectations for ethical business practices, and setting appropriate standards for patient care and services. In short, corporate compliance is a commitment to do the right thing — both legally and ethically.
Read moreLaura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM
Providing high-quality, optimal care has been a long-standing goal for healthcare leaders, practitioners, and nonclinical staff. Although this focus is not new, the increased emphasis on patient-centered care and the shift toward value-based payment models have cast new light on the importance of patient satisfaction.
Read moreLaura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM
Sexual harassment in the workplace is not a new problem, but it has received increasing attention in recent years due to media coverage, social activism, and growing numbers of individuals who have come forward as victims. This renewed focus on harassment indicates that it is an ongoing and serious issue across all types of industries and organizations, and healthcare certainly isn’t immune.
Read moreIn busy healthcare practices, the number of tests and consultations that healthcare providers order can be staggering. From a risk management perspective, it is essential that ordering providers review the results of tests, examinations, and consultations and act on them — even if that only involves assuring patients that their results came back negative.
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