Risk Management News and Education

Physicians and office staff understand that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is federal law. It was designed to provide privacy standards to protect patients’ medical records and other health information. Nevertheless, many fail to recognize that they are not in compliance with federal privacy laws enacted since HIPAA. With an increase in the number of audits conducted for HIPAA compliance and larger penalty amounts, failing to comply with federal privacy laws is not something you can afford to do.

CAP prides itself on being a physician-owned and governed organization. Vital to the organization is the instrumental role physician members play by participating on a variety of committees.

Meet Sarah E. Scher, Chief Executive Officer of CAP. Physician Today spoke with her recently to find out more about why an organization like CAP can be such a huge benefit to the state’s physicians, especially now during these uncertain times.

As patients resume scheduling their routine medical appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic, vigilance is required to protect them from infection and to reduce the risk of potential COVID-related litigation. The following is a sample list of risk reduction strategies to ensure your patients’ safety.

NAS CyberNet was created to help members of CAP Agency and we certainly hope you and your family were not affected by the deadly fires in California last year. When disasters like this happen, it is always an opportunity to reflect on your personal insurance.

Anesthesiologists play a vital role in a patient’s surgical experience. They are charged with ensuring medical readiness for surgery, providing medical management and anesthetic care, and evaluating a patient’s readiness for discharge/or transfer to a medical floor or intensive care unit.

During the COVID-19 health crisis, CAP understands the challenges endured by our members are like no other in our lifetimes. Last month, we announced the return of $4.7 million to CAP members of record on April 15 who have made full or installment payments on the assessment levied on November 14, 2019.

As communities and nations work together to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, it is incumbent upon medical professionals to stay abreast of ever-changing information. To this end, CAP has created an online information center to help.

If Physician Assistants (PAs) — a type of advance  practice professional — are part of your practice, then  you need to know that the rules and regulations for  the supervision of PA’s were recently changed. Senate  Bill No. 697, Physician Assistants: Practice Agreements:  Supervision, was signed on October 9, 2019 and took  effect on January 1, 2020.

As new information emerges daily around the Coronavirus and as the search for answers continue, the risk management and patient safety experts with the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) would like to ensure that physicians and medical communities across California have access to the most reliable resources to remain aware of the latest strategies in treatment, protection, and prevention.