All levels of staff will benefit from this seminar that illustrates best practices in protecting patient privacy. Topics include HIPAA and HITECH, the Uniform Health Care Information Act, breaches of patient health information, and release of patient health information. Cases related to minors, audits, and fines will be discussed. To register for a seminar, go to www.phyins.com and look under our CME tab for live events.
Though much within the health care industry has changed in the past few years, many things are still the same.
Nationally, health care has been experiencing a distinct shift from independent practitioners to multispecialty and multistate physician networks. Additionally, hospitals are increasingly purchasing practices, and integrated regional health care is on the rise. We expect these trends to continue, and changes in the market will result in shrinkage in the traditional professional liability market over the next three years.
At its annual meeting in September 2012, the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) awarded the William O. Robertson Patient Safety Award to Physicians Insurance. Physicians Insurance was recognized for its innovative work in developing simulation training programs around shoulder dystocia, and then launching those programs within urban and rural hospitals.
We are pleased to welcome the newest member groups in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho to Physicians Insurance.
News stories abound of sensitive information that was lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised. Subsequent stories follow of the dreadful effects these incidents have had on the responsible organizations as well as the affected individuals. As mobile and compact as our data has become, it’s easy to understand why we are seeing frequent and large data breaches. It’s convenient to store thousands of records on a keychain thumb drive, but if this data falls into the wrong hands, there’s no telling what a thief might do with it.
Our Claims Experience
Mistakes happen. In fact, as many as seven out of 100 hospital admissions involve a serious medical error, according to Don Berwick, MD, of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Because humans are prone to making mistakes—regardless of their training—it’s not a matter of asking if errors will occur, but when. Thinking about your own care setting, how would you and your facility support a coworker if an adverse event occurred today?
As a 19-year employee of Physicians Insurance, I have been involved in shaping HealthPact’s Disclosure and Resolution Program. Physicians Insurance enthusiastically embraces the efforts of HealthPact because it represents our longstanding commitment to the delivery of safe health care. It is that pledge by the organization and by our individual physician members that has made my tenure a proud association.
HealthPact Forum Update: Standing in the Gap
“We must learn to hold the tension between the reality of the moment and the possibility that something better might emerge.”
—Parker Palmer
Parker Palmer, an author who writes about community, leadership and social change, describes what it means to stand in the “tragic gap,” between the difficult realities of life and the knowledge of what is possible.
Congratulations to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, Washington for being Consumer Reports’ top-ranked hospital in Washington for safety.
We’re proud to work with Kadlec Medical Center.
To read about other top-ranked hospitals in Washington, see http://blog.thenewstribune.com/street/2012/07/06/how-safe-is-your-hospital/.
Members can earn CME credit online with our free courses:
