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3/4/2010: FCC Seeking Comment on Disaster Drill Waiver |
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Written by Joshua I Rozovsky
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Thursday, 04 March 2010 22:36 |
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A controversial interpretation of Part 97 (Amateur Radio Regulations) resulted in potential problems for healthcare organizations and public safety agencies that rely on "ham" radio operators in disaster communications roles. Amateur radio is able to operate when most licensed services, including telephone and 2-way radio, cellular and satellite, are overwhelmed. The ham communications are interoperable, and can include emails, text, voice, or other types of data - including position reports and weather information using bands with ranges of tens to thousands of miles. Successful operations included the recent earthquakes and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Amateur radio operators are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. Part 97, which bans commercial use of amateur radio, was interpreted to prohibit operators from participating in emergency drills in which an employer (such as healthcare organization) was participating. This robbed health facilities of the very personnel likely needed to provide communications in a disaster.
The FCC is now seeking public comment to provide a blanket waiver to the use of amateur radio by hospital employees (who are licensed) in disaster drills. The request for the waiver came from the AHA and applies to hospitals that are seeking Joint Commission Accreditation. The comment period is through April 2, 2010.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-10-365A1.pdf |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 04 March 2010 22:37 |
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3/4/2010: OIG Releases Report on Methods for Identifying Adverse Events |
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Written by Joshua I Rozovsky
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Thursday, 04 March 2010 22:24 |
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The report by the OIG for HHS, available online here, includes a review of identification methods, as well as noted "shortcomings" in such methods. According to the report, "62 percent of the possible events identified by the five screening methods were not associated with actual events." Nonetheless, the OIG found that the methods they reviewed were beneficial in identifying events that resulted in harm. The report number is OEI-06-08-00221. |
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2/27/2010: Important Changes to MMSEA |
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Written by Joshua I Rozovsky
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Sunday, 28 February 2010 17:34 |
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CMS has announced that Input Files will now start January 1, 2011.
Version 3.0 of the Liability Insurance (Including Self-Insurance), No-Fault Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation USER GUIDE was published on February 22, 2010 . To obtain a copy please click here.
Also of note are three Alerts published by CMS on February 24, 2010:
- NGHP RRE Compliance, please click here. NGHPComplianceAlert022410.pdf
- NGHP Alert Risk Management, please click here. NGHPAlertRIskMgmt022410.pdf
- NGHP RREs Who Must Report, please click here. NGHPAlertRREsWhoMustReport022410.pdf
MMSEA 111 mandatory reporting continues to evolve and more changes may be expected. To keep up-to-date, it is important to monitor the MMSEA Alerts Page please click here.
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2/17/2010: GAO Releases Report on Electronic Health Info Exchanges Disclosure Practice |
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Written by Joshua I Rozovsky
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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 14:25 |
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This is a very good report not only details the ways in which PHI are being released, but also describes some of the benefits that the exchanges are providing. With all the talk about electronic records - this report is a must-read. The report is available as a PDF from the GAO. The report number is GAO-10-361, published February 17. The highlights are here. |
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2/9/2010: FDA Seeks to Reduce Radiation Exposure - Add Safeguards |
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Written by Fay A Rozovsky
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Tuesday, 09 February 2010 12:34 |
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The FDA initiative is aimed at technologies that have high levels of ionizing radiation. This includes nuclear medical imaging, Computed Tomography (CT) scans, and fluoroscopy. The press release can be found here. The FDA's white paper is also found online. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 February 2010 12:35 |
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Fay Rozovsky, the President of the Rozovsky Group, was recently published in Hospitals and Health Networks Weekly in their January 19, 2010 email newsletter. Fay wrote an article entitled "Improving the Use of Advance Directives." Click here to read more (external link).