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New Chief of Staff Named at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla
The physicians at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have elected anesthesiologist Richard Unger, MD, as the new chief of staff of the 444-bed campus, which includes the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Unger took over as head of the 975-member physician team on January 1. During his two-year term, Dr. Unger will serve as medical staff liaison to Scripps La Jolla’s administrative staff and Scripps Health’s board of directors.
Source: San Diego NewsCape – Posted: Mon, 18 Jan 2016 08:14:41 GMT
Ultrasound Guidance Lowers Risks of Thoracic Nerve Block Technique for Mastectomy
Newswise – January 14, 2016 – A regional anesthesia technique called thoracic paravertebral nerve block is highly effective in controlling pain after breast cancer surgery, but concern about potential complications may limit its use. A new study provides evidence that using ultrasound to guide the nerve blocking procedure lowers the risk of complications, reports a study in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
Source: Newswise – Posted: Thu, 14 Jan 2016 15:28:32 GMT
Role of the Gut Microbiome in Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Induced…
From the Departments of Anesthesiology , Pathology and Immunology , Molecular Physiology and Biophysics , The Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology , and Texas Children’s Microbiome Center, Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston ; and Department of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston . Correspondence to David J. Durgan, Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Room 434D, Houston, TX 77030.
Source: Circulation – Posted: Wed, 13 Jan 2016 22:53:39 GMT
Allied Anesthesia Physicians New Podcast Tackles Hot-Button Public Health Issues
Sweeny, a physician with Allied Anesthesia Group in Orange, launched the weekly podcast in November to explore the science behind conventional and controversial medical issues that have considerable public health impact. The main thing Im looking for is to deliver good, solid information that has value for our listeners, Sweeny said.
Source: DVDCreation Reviews – Posted: Tue, 12 Jan 2016 17:00:54 GMT
American Society of Anesthesiologists hosts Practice Management 2016, Jan. 29-31, San Diego
WHAT: The American Society of Anesthesiologists will host PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 2016, a three-day meeting for its members and practice management staff. The media are invited to attend.
Source: Newswise – Posted: Mon, 11 Jan 2016 20:55:11 GMT
ME: Death Of HCMC Doctor Found On Side Of I-94 Was Accidental
TV is part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country. Click here for WCCO-TV news stories Send us your breaking news tips […] 830 WCCO Welcome to News Radio 830 WCCO on CBSMinnesota.com! WCCO is part of CBS Radio, a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country.
Source: CBS Local – Posted: Thu, 07 Jan 2016 15:36:22 GMT
Lipoxin A4 Reduces Inflammation Through Formyl Peptide Receptor 2/p38 …
From the Departments of Anesthesiology and Physiology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, CA ; and Department of Neurosurgery, the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China . Correspondence to John H. Zhang, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, 11041 Campus St, Risley Hall, Room 219, Loma Linda, CA 92354.
Source: Circulation – Posted: Wed, 06 Jan 2016 06:17:40 GMT
Why Surgeons Turn Up Their Tunes
WHAT’S PLAYING? A researcher studied the link between the music played during surgery and how well an OR team works together. Anesthesiologists like classical music, jazz and the blues while they work, and they tend to keep it quiet.
Source: Outpatient Surgery Magazine – Posted: Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:47:59 GMT
UAB to Offer Simulation Courses for ASA-Endorsed Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology
The UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine has announced American Society of Anesthesiology endorsement of the UAB simulation program. UAB has recently become one of only 43 ASA endorsed centers in the United States and the only site in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas or Louisiana.
Source: Newswise – Posted: Mon, 04 Jan 2016 21:54:18 GMT
Doctor and Two Former Hospital Employees Plead Guilty to HIPPA Violations
LITTLE ROCK, AR — Jane W. Duke, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, along with Thomas J. Browne, Special-Agent-in-Charge of the Little Rock Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today the guilty pleas of Dr. Jay Holland, age 56, of Little Rock, Arkansas; Sarah Elizabeth Miller, age 28, of England, Arkansas; and Candida Griffin, age 34 of Little Rock, Arkansas. Each pled to a misdemeanor violation of the health information privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) based on their accessing a patient’s record without any legitimate purpose. The pleas were accepted by United States Magistrate Judge Henry L. Jones, Jr.
Dr. Holland, Medical Director of Select Specialty Hospital, located on the 6th floor of the St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center (SVIMC), admitted that after watching news reports on television, he logged on to the SVIMC patient records from his computer at home and accessed a patient’s files to determine if the news reports were accurate. He stated he then logged off the computer admitting that it was inappropriate for him to be looking at the file. He admitted he accessed the file because he was curious. Dr. Holland stated that he had had HIPAA training and that he understood he was violating HIPAA when he accessed the file. SVIMC suspended Dr. Holland’s privileges for two weeks and required him to complete on-line HIPAA training.
Sarah Elizabeth Miller, formerly an account representative at SVIMC, Sherwood Campus, was responsible for checking patients in and out of the clinic and for processing patient billing. In order to perform her duties, she had access to the SVIMC patient records program which includes all locations, not just that of the Sherwood clinic. Miller admitted that on October 20 and 21, 2008, she accessed a patient’s files approximately 12 times out of curiosity. She admitted that she accessed the records without any legitimate purpose. Records show that Miller was trained on HIPAA privacy laws by SVIMC. SVIMC fired Miller from her position.
Candida Griffin was the emergency room unit coordinator at SVIMC. Her responsibilities were secretarial in nature—ordering patient tests and data entry into electronic patient files for patients in the emergency room. Griffin admitted that on October 20, 2008, she was told by the charge nurse to set-up an alias for a particular patient admitted to the emergency room. On October 21, 2008, after the patient had been moved to ICU, Griffin admitted that she became curious about the patient’s status and accessed the medical chart to find out if the patient was still living. Griffin did not inform anyone about accessing the chart however, hospital records show that the patient’s records were accessed three times that day by Ms. Griffin. SVIMC records show that Griffin was trained on HIPAA privacy laws. SVIMC fired Griffin from her position.
Pursuant to plea agreements with the United States, Holland, Miller and Griffin pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor a violation of the health information privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) based on their accessing a patient’s record without any legitimate purpose. Each faces a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment, a fine of not more than $50,000, or both. A sentencing date has not yet been set, but it is anticipated to be within the next 45-60 days.
“The HIPAA privacy protections are real, and we hope that through vigorous enforcement of HIPAA’s right-to-privacy protections and swift prosecution of those who violate HIPAA, we can deter those in the medical industry who have access to protected health information from searching others’ medical records merely to satisfy their own curiosity,” stated Duke.
To report a HIPAA violation, follow the instructions at the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights website: www.hhs.gov or call 214-767-4056, the regional office with oversight over violations occurring in Arkansas.
This case was investigated by the Little Rock Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura G. Hoey.
Source: United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas
Posted: July 20, 2009
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