OCR’s HIPAA Breach “Wall of Shame” Breaks 2,000

By Richard S. Cooper, Esq.
Member
McDonald Hopkins LLC

The list of reported Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) breaches has broken a new record. More than 2,000 breaches affecting 500 or more individuals have now been reported to the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) since 2009. It took nearly five years for the “wall of shame” to reach 1,000 breaches affecting 500 or more individuals and reporting has since increased due in part to OCR’s ramped up enforcement efforts, which seek to hold covered entities responsible for failure to report a breach within 60 days of discovery. Read article

Female Accounting Manager Processing Payroll

Is an 8 and 80 Overtime Schedule Right for my Facility?

By Carmen J. Cole
Labor & Employment Attorney, Polsinelli LLP

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay certain workers at least minimum wage for all hours worked, in addition to overtime at the rate of one and one-half the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per workweek. Under the FLSA, a workweek is a fixed period of seven days, but is not required to be the same as the calendar week. Employers in the healthcare industry, however, may be eligible to use a different method for payment of wages and still comply with the FLSA. What is commonly known as the “8 and 80 system” extends the overtime requirement over a 14-day period, as opposed to a seven day period. Read article

Common Gaps in Disability Insurance

By Janae Sorenson
Vice President, Account Executive Parker, Smith & Feek

Employers that provide long-term disability insurance for their employees are helping set a good foundation for protecting income and assets in the event of an accident or illness. Unfortunately, employers and consultants often check the box that the coverage is provided without taking a critical look at determining if key employees are well served by the protection offered. Read article

Medicaid word with pills and stethescope on top

Moving On: Thoughts on Bettering American Health Care

By John Baackes
CEO, L.A. Care Health Plan

With the health care roller coaster seemingly at a halt, 74 million Americans who rely on Medicaid for their health needs and livelihood can breathe a sigh of relief – for now. Some may view the failed efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a victory, but the truth is that health care reform is far from over. Read article

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