Eggleston & Eggleston is proud to serve medical practices and hospitals in Virginia by providing an integrated approach to practice management with a personal touch. Here are our Quarter 3 tips to keep your medical practice on track in 2022.
During Quarter 3:
- Hold a summer “thank you” party for your team!
- Give back – Donate time or money to your community.
- Review HIPAA/OSHA compliance.
- Update your disaster recovery plan.
1) Hold a summer “thank you” party for your team!
A summer party is a great way to show your team how much you appreciate all their hard work throughout the year. You can have a team party regardless of your budget. It doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate. A simple summer party can show your team that you appreciate them. Here are a few things to consider when planning a summer party:
- Location: Where do you want to have this party? Could you have it in the office after hours or on the weekend? Do you want to take your team somewhere unique and fun? An outdoor party at the park or beach can be a fun and cheap location to celebrate your team.
- Theme: Do you want your party to have a theme? Some fun summer themes include a luau, picnic, pool party or sports! Adding decor, games, costumes or awards will make it feel more like a party than a meeting and let your team know that you put effort into this gathering.
- Food: Will the party be catered or will it be a potluck? The cheaper option is a potluck. You can have your team members sign up to bring different treats to the party!
2) Give back!
If you have room in your budget, giving back to the community is a fantastic way to make connections with those around you and serve others in a meaningful way. Make a list of nearby charities that you could donate to. Ask your team if they have any personal connections to any charitable organization. This helps your team members feel heard and loved. If you do not have room in the budget to give money, you can give your time for free! Get a group of team members to serve on the weekend together at a local charity.
3) Review HIPAA/OSHA compliance.
Businesses and practices providing healthcare-related services must implement various mandatory compliance measures. Each year, you must ensure your practice satisfies the requirements to continue operating legally. OSHA and HIPAA are two of the most crucial areas to keep an eye on. Both are required by federal law, meaning a lack of compliance could lead to dire consequences. A medical management team can review your status to ensure all elements are up to date as you handle the daily operations.
What is HIPAA and OSHA Compliance?
HIPAA is a law designed to protect patient information. It requires medical offices, practices, clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare providers to safeguard Protected Health Information (PHI), such that only authorized persons have access. Any business or professional in contact with PHI must follow all the rules set out by HIPAA.
Medical facilities must provide safe environments for workers and patients according to OSHA. Buildings have to adhere to the relevant codes to prevent accidents and injuries. The safety standards also apply in day-to-day life, like the equipment the staff uses for treatments, surgery, and general patient care.
Why Review It?
If your medical practice is to keep running as you need it to, HIPAA and OSHA compliance should be a priority. The computerization of healthcare systems has increased security risks due to cyberattacks. Abiding by HIPAA requirements allows you to implement the necessary protection measures to keep patients’ data safe. A review ensures your business has policies and privacy and security officials.
An OSHA compliance evaluation checks that the premises are up to standard and safe for everyone. It ensures all employees undergo training and learn to respond to certain safety situations. Find out about the need for an OSHA Compliance manual, which has to be reviewed and updated yearly.
OSHA and HIPAA compliance are continuous processes that your practice must be fully committed to. However, these responsibilities don’t have to interfere with normal operations. Entrust all your compliance duties and training to experienced professionals, and dedicate your time and skills to caring for patients.
4) Update your disaster recovery plan.
What Is A Disaster Recovery Plan?
The importance of a disaster recovery plan cannot be overstated. Planning and preparation for any and all potential disasters, including man-made disasters, cybersecurity and power outage issues, etc. helps protect your patients, their records, your employees and your reputation.
A solid disaster recovery plan ensures that your facility:
- Experiences minimal downtime
- Stays HIPAA compliant
- Safeguards financial information
- Prevents loss of data
Why Should You Update Your Disaster Recovery Plan?
Your facility has a disaster recovery plan. That’s great. But has it been updated recently? Unfortunately for many organizations, their disaster recovery plan is out of date and should a disaster occur, they could potentially lose data, including protected patient information, resulting in HIPAA violations.
Having a dedicated team responsible for your plan helps reduce the chances of an update getting put off. You don’t need a recovery plan until you need it, right? It’s often overlooked, especially if you are a busy location or understaffed. By creating a team and regular update schedule, you reduce the chances that your plan becomes outdated and ineffective.
How Often Should You Update Disaster Recovery Plan?
Some businesses update annually, others may do it as many as four times a year. If there are no changes, once or twice per year may be adequate, but it’s important to conduct a risk assessment and evaluate your plan to determine how often you should update. With that said, there are other times you may want to update your plan outside of schedule.
- Any changes or additions to your software or system.
- Personnel changes may require an update.
- Any known change in risk factors, or new potential threats.
- Changes in management or ownership.
- Changes in data gathering or storing procedures.
- Changes in equipment inventory
How To Update It?
Reviewing your current plan and testing it against any of the above factors is a good start. While you update, it’s always good to see what can be improved. Is there any way you can take your current plan and make it better? Shorten downtime? Improve results? Is what you’ve been doing thus far really sufficient in light of new changes and potential threats?
Enlisting the help of IT experts and a dedicated disaster recovery team ensures the best possible outcome for your facility in the event of a disaster.
How We Can Help
Eggleston & Eggleston can help you assess and implement your HIPAA/OSHA standards and develop a HIPAA disaster recovery plan.
Need our services? Wonder what we can do to help you serve your patients and your team?