The Florida Board of Medicine recently amended its office surgery rules to clarify that many common cardiac procedures already being performed in office surgical settings around the state may, in fact, be performed legally in those settings. Rule 64B8-9.009, Fla. Admin. Code, sets forth the standard of care for office surgery. The rule previously defined … Continue Reading
A gynecologist who secretly photographed and videotaped women’s bodies in the examining room will cost one of the world’s leading medical institutions $190 million. In a damaging blow to its reputation, Johns Hopkins Hospital has agreed to a settlement with more than 8,000 patients of Dr. Nikita Levy, who wore a pen-like camera around his … Continue Reading
A new part of Florida’s medical malpractice law has been voided by a federal judge on the grounds that it is pre-empted by HIPAA. The law, passed during the 2013 legislative session and effective only on July 1 2013, requires, as a pre-condition to filing a malpractice claim, an aggrieved patient to sign an authorization … Continue Reading
Opis Management Resources, Inc., together with four other nursing home providers, requested the Federal Court nearly two years ago to determine if Florida’s §400.145, which provides broad and easy access to patient records of deceased nursing home residents, was preempted by HIPAA’s stricter access requirements. The federal trial court ruled in December 2011 that HIPAA … Continue Reading
In a collaboration with the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHJC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a national, searchable database that contains federal safety rule violations at approximately 1,000 hospitals across the country. The data only includes violations found since January 2011, but it represents another step toward greater transparency … Continue Reading
