Risk Management

Risk Management - 08/15/2024

Practice e-Tips on Risk Management

Who Will Run Your Practice If You Can’t? - 08/23/2023

You might have given thought to what would happen to your solo practice and your family in the event of your death, but what if you have a serious accident or illness and are unable to work for, say, several months?

Top Three Reasons Embezzlement Occurs - 10/11/2022

Medical practices suffer from one of the highest embezzlement rates of all service industries.Several factors can contribute to embezzlement. The top three are opportunity, pressure, and rationalization.

Did That Employee Quit, or Did You Fire Her? - 10/11/2022

The question of whether an employee quit or was fired is very important if the ex-employee files for unemployment benefits. It determines who has the burden of proof in the case. These tips from the Texas Workforce Commission can help you keep the onus of proof off you.

How to Delete Data — for Real - 10/07/2022

Whenever your practice scraps, trades in, donates, or sells electronic equipment, make sure the storage media is wiped clean of all data. Often your safest bet to remove the storage capabilities and destroy the hard drives or memory cards.

Paying Employees for Lunch Break - 09/08/2021

Does your practice have clear policies regarding rest and meal breaks for hourly (nonexempt) employees?

Don’t Try This at Work: Security Risk Analysis Is Not a Do-It-Yourself Project - 08/02/2019

Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requires practices to conduct a security risk analysis at least once a year. HIPAA requires at least one analysis, and annual check-ups are considered a best practice. Many physicians find out through these reports that their practices have a lot of work to do to keep patient records safe.

HIPAA: Are You Prepared for a Lost Laptop or Smartphone? - 05/30/2019

Even if the only work-related activity is accessing your email, you may have PHI on your phone right now. Lost and stolen devices are the No. 1 reason for patient data breaches of more than 500 records.

HIPAA: Are You Prepared for a Business Associate Breach? - 05/30/2019

Business associate breaches can be the most costly type of breach and present some of the highest risk because you don't have insight or control over the business associate's security or policies.

Your EHR Is Watching You - 10/31/2017

 Document, document, document. This is the mantra you follow carefully in creating your medical records. Bear in mind, though: Your electronic medical record is doing some documenting of its own.  

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Training: Not Just for Medicare Advantage Plans - 01/27/2017

Medicare requires annual fraud, waste, and abuse training for physicians contracted with any Medicare Advantage plan and their staff. But all practices should provide this type of training to all employees, regardless of health plan participation, says TMA.

Nine Do’s and Don’ts for Enforcing Office Policies - 12/07/2016

Having office policies is one thing. Enforcing them fairly and consistently is another. By failing to do the latter, you risk losing unemployment claims.

Follow-Up Failures Are Risky - 12/06/2016

Missed appointments and failures to follow up pose some of the greatest legal risks for physicians. Here are some risk-management tips for your practice.

How to Apologize Like You Mean It - 11/15/2016

Everybody makes mistakes. Physicians — even the best, most well-intentioned ones — make mistakes. Regardless of the nature of the mistake, you must take steps to correct it, and that includes apologizing. But it’s important to do it right, or you may make matters worse.