PRMS Blog

Here are my top four things to consider before using Skype – or any other technology – for telemedicine: 1) Does the technology comply with HIPAA’s requirements? Under the Privacy Rule, the technology vendor is a Business Associate if it stores (for any amount of time, no matter how short) or has access to protected health information (patient demographic and medical informatio ...

As I am finalizing preparation for PRMS’ national CME seminar on technology in San Francisco on October 18, I saw the headlines about the hospital EHR flaw that is being mentioned in the press as a reason for the Ebola patient’s initial release from the hospital and the resulting public harm threat. From CNBC: “’The hospital Thursday night said when Duncan was first examined Se ...

In reviewing our early risk management newsletters, I stumbled upon the fact that PRMS’ risk managers have been writing on the topic of telemedicine since 1998! The Fall 1998 issue of our risk management newsletter contained an article titled “ Telemedicine: The Next Generation of Care?” So for a “Throwback Thursday” post, I thought I would review what my colleagues had to say ...

The Minnesota Mental Health Community Foundation – the charitable arm of the Minnesota Psychiatric Society – is just a few years old, but its worthy goals have made it a standout choice for continued PRMS support. The Foundation’s mission is to build broad-based awareness about mental illness by educating the public and making connections to support the mental health profession ...

Since our Program has insured tens of thousands of psychiatrists over almost 30 years, it won’t surprise anyone that we have been studying and educating psychiatrists on HIPAA since 2000. We’ve presented entire CME seminars devoted to HIPAA, as well as covered HIPAA as one of many topics in our other seminars. But fourteen years after the healthcare world first heard of HIPAA, ...

PRMS  recognizes the advocacy and commitment of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to ensure access to mental health treatment. Team PRMS Gives a Hoot participated in the NAMIWalks Northern Virginia on September 20, 2014. PRMS employees and family members walked together to raise money and awareness for NAMI programs and services.   ...

The other day my Executive Chairman sent me an interesting article from the NY Times detailing the fact that in France, physicians make the final end-of-life decisions for their patients. From the article: “Doctors in France have long held what, by American standards, might seem unthinkable discretion to make end-of-life choices for people in their care.“ “For patients unable ...

You have insurance coverage. You received the lowest rate and have the certificate of insurance. You are properly insured, right? Perhaps not. Here are five of the most common issues you should avoid when choosing a policy. 1. Having a “conditional” consent to settle clause in the policy. Even though “consent to settle” clauses are common, if an insured doctor wants to defend a ...

  The journey to help increase awareness and raise funds to improve the lives of roughly 60 million people in the U.S. living with mental illness got a boost recently when we sponsored a team from the Bronx District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). This team raised more than $5,500 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ NAMIWalk NYC 2014. Imagine thi ...

Please be advised that Microsoft will no longer maintain Windows XP as of April 8, 2014.* Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, fix bugs, or offer call center support for Windows XP users. What does this mean for you? If you are still using Windows XP in your practice – 28% of all computer users continue to do so – the security of your Protected Health Information ...