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Home » topics » Technology
HIRING

Prepare and practice for conducting an online job interview

January 10, 2023 by

By Robert Half By now, you’ve likely discovered the advantages of conducting a remote interview. It’s convenient for you and the candidate, it’s easier to schedule separate interviews with the hiring committee, it saves you the cost of a candidate’s lunch or travel expenses, and you can conduct more assessments more quickly. Most importantly, and especially in this very challenging labor market,  the remote interview allows you to meet your top candidates and make a hiring decision before many old-school competitors can even finalize arrangements for an on-site meet-and-greet. Still, the remote interview presents a few complications. Details you never had to consider when interviewing at the office—your background, screen presence and technology, for example—must now be part of any well-planned meeting. Otherwise, you risk mishaps that can distract and… . . . read more.

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HIPAA

Proposed rule would standardize how to send health care attachments

December 26, 2022 by

It might get easier for your medical office to send healthcare attachments and electronic signatures. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has issued a proposed rule, “Adoption of Standards for Health Care Attachments Transactions and Electronic Signatures, and Modification to Referral Certification and Authorization Transaction Standard (CMS-0053-P).” If finalized, the proposed rule, would adopt standards for “health care attachments” transactions, such as medical charts, x-rays, and provider notes that document physician referrals, and office or telemedicine visits. The modifications to the HIPAA transactions would support both health care claims and prior authorization transactions, standards for electronic signatures to be used in conjunction with health care attachments transactions, and a modification to the standard for the referral certification and authorization transaction. The is a part of ongoing efforts to… . . . read more.

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DATA SECURITY

9-point checklist for medical office cybersecurity

December 25, 2022 by

Is your office doing all it can to protect your patients’ sensitive medical data? Here’s a nine-point checklist to protect the security and privacy of your patients. Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts and change them regularly. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security. Keep all software and systems up to date with the latest security patches. Use antivirus software and firewall protection to prevent unauthorized access to your systems. Educate employees on cybersecurity best practices, such as not clicking on links in suspicious emails and not sharing login information. Use encryption to protect sensitive data, such as patient medical records, when it is transmitted or stored electronically. Regularly backup important data to protect against data loss due to cyber attacks or other disasters. Implement policies and procedures for… . . . read more.

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FEDERAL PRIVACY LAW

10 basic steps to comply with HIPAA

December 24, 2022 by

HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a federal law that protects the privacy of individuals’ personal and medical information. HIPAA is important for medical offices because it sets standards for the protection and handling of this sensitive information, which is critical to maintaining the trust of patients and ensuring the confidentiality of their medical records. HIPAA requires medical offices to implement and maintain certain safeguards to protect PHI, including physical, technical, and administrative measures. These measures help to ensure that patient information is only accessed and used by authorized individuals, and that it is handled in a way that maintains its integrity and confidentiality. Non-compliance with HIPAA regulations can result in significant fines and legal consequences for medical offices, as well as damage to their reputation. Therefore,… . . . read more.

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CYBERSECURITY

Treat passwords like underwear: Change often and don’t share

December 15, 2022 by

Did you know that most confirmed data breaches involve the leveraging of weak, stolen, or default passwords? One of your practice’s frontline defenses for avoiding the phishing  attacks and other cybercriminal schemes is effective password management. How well are you managing yours? Take this quiz from Michael J. Sacopulos, JD, founder and CEO of the Medical Risk Institute, to find out.  Strong passwords are too complicated to remember. It’s fine to use passwords that are short and easy.            True or False?  Answer: False Easy passwords are easy to crack. Popular passwords in the United States continue to be “password” and “12345.” These weak passwords offer little security and are simply dangerous. Instruct your team to create strong passwords that contain a mix of letters, cases, and… . . . read more.

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POST-PANDEMIC WORKPLACE

Managers hold the key to employee engagement and retention

December 15, 2022 by

With many workplaces now allowing hybrid work, new complexities in managing the workplace are emerging, says the The Conference Board in a new report. Recent evidence suggests that productivity among US workers has declined significantly from heights experienced during the pandemic. Remote and hybrid work arrangements combined with ill-prepared managers may be a cause. Why it matters Managers lie at the nexus of employee engagement and retention. Given the added challenges of a post-COVID world of work, it is essential to strengthen how employees are managed and led. Care must be taken to create an organizational culture welcomed by employees that also supports organizational goals. The path forward Postpandemic, managers and employees must learn how to adapt effectively to each other’s emerging needs and preferences. This can be done by… . . . read more.

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REMOTE WORK

Make online team meetings work for you

November 4, 2022 by

By Lynne Curry If you dread online meetings–attending them, hosting them–and long for meetings to become more than a necessary evil, you can make it happen. Recently, I hosted a two-day, 15-hour meeting that the 17 attendees said “zoomed by,” “was fun, kept me engaged the entire time;” and “made an hour seem like five minutes.” Here’s how we did it. A “you” start We started with the “real,” with questions like “how is remote working for you this week?” Real value Before I launched into the first topic, I asked everyone what they hoped the meeting focused on and what results they wanted from it. Everyone listens to the same radio station, WIFM, “what’s in it for me”. If your meeting attendees know from the start, they’ll receive value,… . . . read more.

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DATA SECURITY

4 ways your managed IT provider can help with HIPAA

August 25, 2022 by

By Ron Slyker Healthcare IT can best be explained  as technology that allows the secure exchange of medical and patient information between healthcare providers, patients, insurers, and other administrative operations. With the rapid increase of healthcare companies adopting cloud technology to share files and store private data, the need to involve managed service providers to assure full compliance of HIPAA is essential. Here are four ways that your managed services IT provider should be expected to help maintain HIPAA compliance: Encryption. Your managed services provider should make sure that all your devices—including laptops, tablets, and mobile devices—are encrypted. This is the best way to secure your data. And, given that mobile malware is on the rise, you will want to make it a top priority. Set up a reporting process…. . . . read more.

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PRODUCTIVITY

Voice technology can give you an extra set of hands

August 17, 2022 by

By Philips Dictation From robotics to augmented reality and beyond, the growing prominence of technology’s role in business has been fascinating. But there is also concern that some types of technology, such as AI, may threaten people’s jobs by performing functions or even “thinking” as humans do. However, the reality is that the development of AI-related technologies, especially speech-to-text, is designed to complement human work—not replace it. There are many ways the rising popularity and adoption of speech-to-text help enhance workflows and make the day easier and more enjoyable for employees in all kinds of roles. Utilizing advanced voice solutions also helps prepare employees for future technological evolution in the workplace, keeping them on the leading edge with desirable, transferrable skills. For support staff, this is a win-win, as evidenced by these key… . . . read more.

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Remote patient monitoring on the rise

August 3, 2022 by

Is your medical practice making use of remote patient monitoring? It’s an emerging trend, judging by market growth. A press release from Allied Analytics LLP says the remote patient monitoring market was was valued at $1.9 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $8.5 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 16.3% from 2022 to 2031. Surge in number of populations, limited availability of hospitality beds along with upsurge in infectious virus during the pandemic fuel the growth of the global remote patient monitoring market during the forecast period. Remote patient monitoring devices check patients’ body temperature, respiration rate, heart rate, and blood pressure without invasive treatments. Day-to-day monitoring equipment, such as glucometers for diabetic patients and heart or blood pressure monitors for cardiac patients, are examples of… . . . read more.

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