PRMS Blog

Two news items caught my attention today – both involved radiologists and HIPAA violations: 1. MORE DUMPED RECORDS: According to the report, a customer noticed 65 boxes of medical records, including social security numbers, in a dumpster at a storage unit facility. The records belonged to a radiology group that had disbanded, and ultimately failed to pay for continued storage ...

As an “Army brat,” holidays showing appreciation for our military – active, former, and deceased – are of particular significance to me. This Memorial Day weekend is more than the official start to summer – it’s a time to honor all who bravely fought or are fighting for our freedom. This certainly includes those whose lives have been lost, whether by the hands of others, or by ...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. While it is great to recognize and educate everyone on the issue of mental health, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank the psychiatrists and other mental health professionals for all they do under what can be very tough circumstances. My comments are focused on psychiatrists because my team of risk managers has the most interact ...

In recognition of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 7, PRMS staff took part in a service project by helping package gifts of joy in the form of boxed craft kits to promote healing for children in area hospitals. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Awareness Day, which focuses on raising awareness about the mental health needs of America’s youngest ...

Please see below for information from our panel counsel on a new state prescribing requirement: New Requirements for Ohio Prescribers Under OARRS Effective April 1, 2015 By:  George S. Coakley, Esq. and Megan K. Ormond, Esq. Established in 2006, the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) is a web-based system that collects information on all outpatient prescriptions for co ...

With the news of the Germanwings co-pilot having been treated for mental health issues, and from what we’re learning as officials continue to investigate the horrific crash, many people are wondering about a patient’s privacy versus a mental health provider’s obligation to warn. There are differences in the standards for making decisions about medical privacy versus public saf ...

I’ve been educating physicians on the risks of electronic health records (EHRs) for years, including the risk of harm to patients. Now I note that The Joint Commission on March 31st issued Sentinel Event Alert 54, Safe Use of Health Information Technology, which includes examples of how adverse events may occur through the use of EHRs. Here are just some potential patient safe ...

Psychiatrists know the importance of treating people living with psychiatric disorders but in recent years, psychiatric care has become more difficult to access. One reason is the number of new psychiatrists coming out of medical school is not keeping up with demand. The Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Foundation (OPPF) – the non-profit charitable foundation of the Ohio Psychiatri ...

Having defended cases brought against our insured psychiatrists since the 1986, we know that patient suicide/attempted suicide is one of the top two allegations brought against psychiatrists in medical malpractice cases, the other being medication-related issues. We also know that assessing for suicide risk is critical to understanding the patient’s condition and developing an ...

This week’s MMWR from the CDC addresses suicide trends among persons aged 10-24 years from 1994-2012. The study’s findings include: • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds in the US • There were 5,178 suicides in this age group in 2012 • The three most common methods are firearm, suffocation (including hanging), and poisoning (including drug overdos ...