Keeping your Officers HIPAA Compliant

Your organization is required by law to have a HIPAA security officer on the premises to oversee the compliance efforts, review and revise documentation, and develop policies and procedures if there are none in place. Knowing what your security officer should be doing is an important part of the administration’s task of overseeing their duties. How can you keep your security officer HIPAA compliant? There are a few things you should know. An internal HIPAA security officer:

• Performs any and all assessments and risk analyses.

• Reviews and drafts all compliance documents for employees and the entire organization.

• Identifies and resolves any areas currently in noncompliance.

• Schedules and conducts all training at the employee and administrative levels.

Drafting and coordinating a compliance plan is one of the most important tasks of the security officer. This plan must be reviewed and updated on a continuous basis to maintain the internal protocols and infrastructure in place, and to reinforce any changes and improvements that have taken place. The security officer is responsible for communicating with government officials and keeping track of any changes to the HIPAA laws that would directly impact the current protocols in place.

If the security officer finds any situations of noncompliance, they are responsible for launching an internal investigation and disseminating any data breaches to the governing entity. The security officer is responsible for the budget needed to carry out the directives and needs of the organization, and in the maintenance of all files, documentation of training, documentation of any components that have been changed within the plan, and any corrective action taken against any employee who may have exposed the company to a data breach. In HIPAA training, an organization or entity will need to understand the risk and the benefits involved to handle PHI.

There should be a reporting hierarchy in place to ensure all employees are following the policies and procedures, with the administration overseeing the work of the security officer to make sure they are not only following the plans, but consistently redeveloping them to meet higher standards.

Knowing what is expected of your security officer will give everyone clear objectives and tasks to complete to keep the organization in accordance under the law.

Improving Clinical Documentation for HIPAA Compliance

Staying HIPAA compliant is one of the most important aspects of maintaining your healthcare facility. With so many data breaches and violations surrounding the protection of PHI, taking a look at how facilities are using EHRs to document patient information is a major concern. Using technology to enhance patient care has made great strides in the healthcare environment, but these advancements can also increase the chances of fraudulent or inappropriate documentation, especially if the system being used is subpar.

How can clinical documentation be improved within an EHR? Here are a few suggestions:

•    Outline the primary focus of the software - Many facilities use software that they do not understand, or do not have specific objectives for its use. By placing improvement of clinical outcomes and patient care support as the primary focus, the level of clinical documentation can improve.

•    Have defined standards - A clearly outlined set of professional standards for clinical documentation and its practices should be present in each organization. This should include giving patients access to their medical records to increase engagement, and capturing structured data only when it is useful or necessary in the care and delivery of quality assessment and reporting

•    Identify best practices - Organizations should perform comprehensive research to identify and develop best practices for clinical documentation to assist in determining the creation and use of professional standards within their organization.

As many organizations continue to move toward customized EHR design, there are a few things to consider:

•    Optimization of the system for care delivery over a period of time, including patient care that involves collaborative teams of patients and clinicians;

•    Making clinical documentation within the EHR system an intuitive design;

•    Creating EHRs that support the use of embedded tags for identification, and a “write once, reuse again” approach for ease-of-use, flexibility and expediency.

•    Interpretation of the data to conclude whether or not an action has been taken to alleviate extra steps by the clinician; and

•    Integration of patient-generated data to further reinforce patient/clinician collaboration.

Visit here for more information of OR Protocols because These protocols and steps can help in the development of improved clinical documentation and the use of EHRs within the facility to help alleviate data breaches and expand the levels of protection for PHI.

The Importance of Being Stress and Worry Free

Stress is a distraction in a healthy living environment and has many negative effects, from lack of sleep, to a negative attitude. There are a number of things you can do to keep the stress and worries away, giving yourself a change of pace. Although there may be some instances where worrying can work to your benefit to produce positive results, the goal is to create the best environment to successfully handle any stress and worries to promote your goal of healthy living. Here are a few tips on how you can worry (or not) with ease:

•    Have a positive purpose


If you have a situation that you cannot stop thinking about, add some positivity to the situation. Instead of mulling over the worst thing that could happen, start thinking about what would happen if the outcome was good. Make a list and write down the good, the bad and how you will deal with each scenario. Once you know how you are going to deal with any outcome, you will realize that you don’t have to worry any longer because the problem has already been solved, positive or negative.

•    Always imagine the best

If you don’t believe in the power of positive thinking, now is the time to start. Think about the situation you are concerned about and imagine you’ve solved the problem. Keep finding solutions in your head that reflect positive outcomes so that you’ll be able to positively work your way through any problem that may arise.

•    Don’t procrastinate.


People tend to add stress to their lives because they wait until the last minute to get things done. This causes frustration and a sense of too much going on at one time. It can be overwhelming. Completing tasks within a window of time that will allow you to breathe easy knowing you aren’t under a serious deadline can help you avoid stress. If it’s a major project, the more time you have to break it into a series of tasks, the better.

•    Talk yourself into a positive mindset.


When you don’t have anyone around to give you a pep talk or sign of encouragement, do it yourself. No one knows your thoughts and feelings better than you do – take this time to write down something positive and say it out loud to yourself. Give yourself the same support you would give to someone else and see how great it makes you feel.

•    Find something else to do.


Nothing will get your mind off stress and worry more than finding something to take up that space. Forget the television, where you can mull over the situation during commercials. Get out and do something fun. Go out with friends, roller skate, go dancing or do something positively distracting. You’ll thank yourself for the respite and will have a different outlook when you think about the issue at hand.

•    Sleep
 

You can’t think about your issues if you aren’t coherent enough to keep it on the top of your mind. Taking the time to “sleep on it” may prove to be a positive remedy to your situation. Stress and worry builds anxiety, but sleep counteracts that. Before you go to sleep, write out what your concerns are and leave them on that sheet of paper. Falling asleep with a clear mind will allow you to wake up refreshed, reenergized, and ready to tackle anything that comes your way.

•    Laugh 
It’s true that laughter is the best medicine.

Laugher promotes the production of endorphins and endorphins make you happy. When all else fails, having a serious session in laughter can make even the gloomiest day seem brighter. It’s good to recall memories and events that made you happy and full of laughter. Watching comedy or laughing with friends can help relieve stress and keep you in a good mood for the rest of the day.

•    Breathe
 

Doing a series of breathing exercises can help you relieve the anxiety you may be feeling. Deep breaths and full stretches can help ease your mind and body, allowing you to think about something other than what’s bothering you. Learning a few stress-relieving techniques can be effective whether you are at home or out. Learning to control your emotions and the level of stress you encounter can be controlled with a few breathing techniques.
   
Wanting to live healthy should always be a priority, and taking steps to alleviate those factors that can directly affect your health is key in maintaining a good balance within your internal and external environments. Learning how to put your health first by applying different techniques to preserve your mind, body and soul is the first step in rearranging your priorities to make a positive difference now and in the future.For more information visit here HIPAA Certification Exam.