Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
A recent HIPAA breach that involved transmission of protected health information (PHI) to only one party — a reporter — nonetheless cost a Connecticut practice $125,000, in part because the practice didn’t take simple precautions. In February 2015, a patient of Allergy Associates of Hartford, P.C., a four-doctor, three-office practice, had talked to a local […]
The national turnover rate for private duty caregivers in 2018 ballooned to 81.6% — by far the highest turnover rate in the 10 years Home Care Pulse of Rexburg, Idaho, has tracked this data. That’s according to the recently released 2019 Home Care Benchmarking Study, which includes responses from 688 providers representing more than 1,100 […]
Profile of Older Americans, published by the Administration for Community Living, is available with data from 2018. The profile includes key topic areas such as income, living arrangements, education, health, and caregiving, and new this year: emergency and disaster preparedness. Some interesting take-aways from this publication: Over the past 10 years, the population age 65 […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed rule on joint employment should provide clarity and reassurance to businesses, especially those in franchise arrangements, according to attorneys familiar with the risks and benefits of joint employment. The DOL announced on April 1 that it was proposing a rule to revise and clarify joint employment as it […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) voluntary cybersecurity practices for providers underscores the government’s priority of protecting electronic patient information and the need for providers to integrate the new guidance into their compliance programs. The guidelines were written specifically for the health care industry. Health care entities remain a primary target for cyberattacks, […]
The agenda for the 22nd Annual Private Duty National Conference & Expo has been finalized and it’s better than ever, featuring a powerful lineup of star presenters who will help you take your agency to the next level. Join hundreds of private duty executives at the conference November 11-13, 2019, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. […]
After more than a year of legal back-and-forth, home care agencies in New York can rest easy in the longstanding practice of paying live-in caregivers in the state for 13 hours a day — excluding sleep and rest periods. On March 26, the New York Court of Appeals ruled agencies could continue to pay caregivers […]
In an era of increased awareness of discrimination and harassment in the workplace, it’s important to remember not to discriminate against employees based on age. The rules regarding age discrimination differ in some ways from other types of unlawful discrimination in the workplace, which can trip up the unsuspecting. For example, while overt age discrimination […]
HHS recently released suggested measures to protect health care businesses from cyberattacks on their electronic health record (EHR) systems and protected health information (PHI). Included among threats HHS says agencies should watch for is ransomware, which has become a common hacking exploit in health care. HHS announced it was issuing the guidance in keeping with […]
Ensure all employees are properly classified and paid appropriately based on that classification and proposed salary level changes. Doing so will ensure your agency is in compliance before finalization of a newly proposed rule raising the salary threshold for employee overtime exemption. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on March 7 announced a proposed rule […]