Category: Compliance
Security Training Tips for Frontline Employees
The shift towards digital solutions has had a profound impact and benefit. However, it has also introduced new challenges, particularly concerning security, which is why your frontline employees need to be properly trained to ensure your business and customers are protected.
As frontline sectors continue to embrace technology, the dependency on digital tools and platforms grows. Employees now rely on various devices and software to perform their duties, from processing transactions and managing customer interactions to accessing sensitive information. Point-of-sale systems, digital customer service platforms, electronic health records, and mobile apps are now standard tools in these environments.
The Importance of Security Training for Frontline Workers
Frontline workers extend beyond emergency responders. It’s an encompassing term to describe individuals who are the first point-of-contact between a company and its customers. They can handle sensitive information, greet patrons as they enter facilities, or provide direct support when needed
Why is front line training so vital?
- Direct Customer Interaction
- Protecting Sensitive Information
- Identifying Threats
- Compliance with Regulations
- Building Customer Trust
For Additional Helps and Tips Visit: Vector Security’s Security Blog.
Don’t Tell My Insurance Company
“you can also ask your health care provider or pharmacy not to tell your health insurance company about care you receive or drugs you take, if you pay for the care or drugs in full and the provider or pharmacy does not need to get paid by your insurance company.”
If you would like to read this flyer or print it for your patients:
Substance Use Disorder Patient Records
HHS Finalizes Rule Changing Regulations
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized a rule making changes to the regulations governing the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records under 42 CFR part 2 (Part 2). HHS aligned many Part 2 regulations with HIPAA in accordance with language from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Changes included allowing a single consent for all future uses and disclosures of Part 2 records for treatment, payment, and operations; HIPAA covered entities and their business associates may redisclose records following HIPAA regulations under this consent. The rule aligned Part 2 penalties and breach notification requirements with HIPAA, and restricted the use of Part 2 records in certain civil or criminal proceedings against patients without their consent or a court order.
5 State and Federal Training Mandates
There are five topics that physicians and their staff must receive training on regularly per state and federal requirements, and the TMA Education Center offers programs to meet those mandates.
All these programs are free to members and their staff as a benefit of membership, saving members $200 or more per program or more than $2,000 combined. Find them in the TMA Education Center under the Opioid and Mandated Trainings topics.
State:
- Human trafficking: Meets all required Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Human Trafficking Training Standards, is approved by HHSC in accordance with House Bill 2059 (2019), and addresses how to recognize, screen for, and report suspected human trafficking.
- Pain management and the prescribing and monitoring of controlled substances required by the Texas Medical Board: State requirement for a total of 2 hours of formal CME that count as ethics credit and addresses:
- Best practices, alternative treatment options, and multimodal approaches to pain management that may include physical therapy, psychotherapy, and other treatments;
- Safe and effective pain management related to the prescription of opioids and other controlled substances, including education regarding standards of care; identification of drug-seeking behavior in patients; and effectively communicating with patients about the prescription of an opioid or other controlled substances; and
- Prescribing and monitoring of controlled substances.
Federal:
- OSHA: Federal requirement for annual training for all health care workers.
- Treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders required for all U.S. DEA-registered practitioners: Federal requirement, one-time 8 hours of specified training.
Federal and state:
- HIPAA and Texas medical privacy laws: Federal and state requirements annually, regularly, and/or within 90 days of hiring.
TMA’s Education Center also has dozens of other courses you can find anytime, available at no cost to members thanks to TMA Insurance Trust.
Disclaimer: Participation in this program in no way implies the participant has fully met the federally and state-mandated training requirements. Participants are solely responsible for ensuring any mandated training requirements are completed.
Notice of Data Breach Update
Texas physician practices and other health care facilities soon will be required to give more timely and public notice of any breaches of computerized data, including electronic health records (EHRs) and billing information.
During the 2023 regular legislative session, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 768 by Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound), which takes effect Sept. 1. The law requires anyone doing business in Texas to notify the state attorney general of computer security breaches involving the sensitive, personal information of at least 250 individuals as soon as possible, and not later than 30 days after discovery, down from 60 days.
Is Your Medical Practice Compliant?
HOW MGMA HELPS YOU
STAY COMPLIANT
Staying compliant with ever-changing policies and guidelines can become exhausting and downright confusing. MGMA is here to ensure you can easily track your compliance and stay on top of your checklists.
Take a look at some of our industry-leading compliance resources:
Physicians are Responsible for Checking OIG Exclusions List
This article was submitted to TMA by the Texas Office of Inspector General as part of an educational campaign for physicians and other health care professionals. Physicians should consult with their own retained counsel.
“Physicians are REQUIRED to screen all employees for exclusion from Medicaid on a MONTHLY basis. Under the OIG’s rules, a practice may be subject to administrative sanctions for failing to document that its employees or contractors are not excluded, or for failing to notify the OIG after identifying an excluded employee.”
The Texas Exclusions List is updated daily. You can access the state list via the Texas OIG website. The federal list and an instructional video for using it are available at exclusions.oig.hhs.gov.
Feds Clarify HIPAA Enforcement When PHE Ends
New federal guidance clarifies that relaxed HIPAA enforcement will end at the conclusion of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), while offering instruction on how physicians and others covered by HIPAA can continue to use remote communication technologies to provide audio-only telehealth services.
Back at the start of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said it would not “impose penalties for noncompliance with the regulatory requirements under the HIPAA Rules against covered health care providers in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.”
In the new guidance, OCR reiterated that this discretion remains in effect only until the HHS secretary determines the PHE no longer exists or when it expires, whichever occurs first. Congress previously granted a five-month extension for other COVID-related waivers following the conclusion of the PHE..
OCR issued the guidance in direct response to a December 2021 presidential executive order intended to help ensure patients can continue to benefit from audio-only telemedicine and telehealth services with protection of their personal health information.
The new guidance elaborates on types of technologies, business associate agreements with vendors, and ensuring HIPAA compliance when using audio-only technologies.
The Texas Medical Association has numerous resources designed to help physicians adopt and effectively use telemedicine. Visit TMA’s telemedicine page for more information.
Click on the blue highlighted text within the article for more information.
OR
Head to the Business End File and view articles on Telemedicine, and Telemedicine Policy, Procedure, and Form Templates
CMS Web-Based Learning
Have you and your staff completed your Annual Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA) training for 2021 as outlined in the 2021 Medicare Compliance Program Guidelines Attestation for Downstream Entities?
- Fraud, Waste and Abuse (“FWA”) Training
Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training was provided in 2021 to all of our employees, contractors and downstream entities who are assigned to work on Medicare business. This occurred initially during the orientation period and annually thereafter. Records of Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training completion are maintained for at least 10 years
CMS has recently revised their Multimedia Web-based Training.
And it’s free
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