Most physicians would likely not be surprised that many American homes have an accumulation of unused, unwanted, or expired medications. But did you ever consider the potential safety hazards these surplus medications present?

In the latest focused review, the risk management and patient safety experts with the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. identified five common areas of liability risk associated with claims against UC physicians.

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.