Legal

The watchdog group Patient Privacy Rights has released its first personal health record privacy report card in an effort to educate and protect consumers.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology is updating its electronic health record technology certification programs to conform to the interim final rule recently released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Eighty-five percent of healthcare providers believe that their ambulatory electronic health record software will let them meet the 2011 meaningful use deadlines being considered by the federal government, according to a report from research firm KLAS.

In-flight medical events are in an area of medicine that is often overlooked but occurring more and more.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology has announced the first electronic health record products to be certified under its CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive and Preliminary ARRA 2011 programs.

Tighter government control and expanded regulation are likely to occur in the near future, even if fundamental healthcare reform doesn't materialize.

Going bare, or going without malpractice insurance, can leave you exposed to financial disaster.

The Medical Group Management Association says many medical groups may not achieve "meaningful use" and will not qualify for the EHR incentives if the criteria are too burdensome.

The Connecticut attorney general's office is investigating the loss of health information of 446,000 state residents by managed care company Health Net and the company's six-month notification delay.

Congressional Budget Office notes few Americans would enroll in public health insurance option if it were available.

Practices with 20 or fewer physicians may end up being exempted from the new "Red Flag" rule which requires physicians' practices and other businesses to spot and report identity theft.

When a U.S. resident is sent abroad for treatment by a managed car company, does a patient have any available recourse if he or she is a victim of negligence?

The California office of administrative law rejected a proposal that would have expanded the scope of practice of psychologists and potentially all other health care practitioners.

Companies that work with healthcare organizations and handle private patient information are largely unprepared to meet the new data breach-related obligations included in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

Senate shelved bill that would have cut out the method which CMS uses to calculate physician fees

HITECH has new requirements regarding business associates and notification of patients regarding breaches of unsecured protected health information.

In the past decade, there was a sharp increase in medical liability premiums, but recently, malpractice insurance has started to level off, indicating a potential new trend.

Practices making the plunge into electronic health records prior to the final definition of "meaningful use" should require the EHR contract guarantee the system will meet those requirements.

Pfizer allegedly promoted four drugs for off-label indications and caused false claims to be submitted to government health care programs for uses that were not medically accepted indications and therefore not covered by those programs.

A look at state legislation affecting primary care doctors.

A rule proposed in the health reform legislation would allow health insurers to sell plans across state lines.

Exceptions that permit referrals under Stark are complex, therefore determining a violation has happened and the preferred way of managing are also difficult.

As you prepare to start a new job, read your employment contract carefully, make sure you understand all of its provisions, and, if necessary, let a lawyer have a peek.

In these difficult economic times, you may find that more patients are refusing to pay for services rendered and others are complaining more about their care.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in late August plans to award $598 million in grants to open as many as 70 regional offices next year to help practices adopt electronic health record systems.