During the Trump administration, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came under heavy criticism for not doing enough to protect health care and other essential workers … [Read more...]
Compliance Alert
Take 15 Steps to Comply with New OSHA Emergency Health Care Worker Protection Requirements
June 28, 2021
Compliance Perspectives
Can You Require Lab Employees to Prove They Received the COVID-19 Vaccine?
May 10, 2021
"No Person May Gain Entry to the Laboratory Without Furnishing Proof of Their -19 Vaccination Status" Normally, a sign like this would be highly problematic. Heck, simply asking employees if they’ve … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
Massachusetts Mental Health Hospital Fined $65,000 for HIPAA Right of Access Violation
May 6, 2021
Case: The HIPAA Privacy Rule gives providers 30 days and, in some instances, 60 days to respond to patients’ requests of access to their medical records. But it took Massachusetts behavioral health … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives
How to Create an Enhanced Cleaning and Disinfection Policy
April 4, 2021
In the age of COVID-19, complying with the rigorous hygiene requirements CLIA, accreditation criteria, OSHA and other standards may not be enough. That’s because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control … [Read more...]
CMS
Price Transparency: 2 of 3 Hospitals Not Complying with New CMS Disclosure Rules, Study Finds
April 3, 2021
Despite vociferous industry protest, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) controversial new hospital price transparency rule officially took effect on Jan. 1, 2021. But through … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
EHR Technology Vendor Settles Kickback Charges for $18.25 Million
April 2, 2021
Case: Athenahealth Inc., a Massachusetts-based EHR software vendor has agreed to fork over $18.25 million to settle charges of paying kickbacks to generate sales. The DOJ complaint cites three … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
Florida Court Upholds Conviction of Physician at Center of Massive Drug Test Scam
April 2, 2021
Case: In February 2019, the physician/medical director of a pair of sober home clinics in clinics was sentenced to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution for his role in a … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
CLIA Lab Subject to HIPAA Not Necessarily Exempt from State Medical Privacy Law
February 16, 2021
Case: Plasma donors filed a class action claiming that a plasma donation company’s use of a donor-identification system based on a donor’s fingerprints and biometric information without consent … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives
How to Audit the Effectiveness of Your Lab Compliance Plan
February 7, 2021
If you’re reading this, it’s a pretty good bet that you’ve put a compliance plan into place at your lab. But just how effective is it? To answer this crucial question, you must consider not only what … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
Employee Can’t Blame Positive Marijuana Test on Testing Lab’s Negligence
February 4, 2021
Case: An oil and gas worker was reassigned to a less desirable warehouse position after his hair follicle test came back positive for marijuana. The worker insisted he was clean—his urine drug and … [Read more...]
