Tragic news events on Long Island have made the public increasingly aware of the threat posed by prescription drug trafficking and abuse. In June 2011, four people were killed by a man robbing a Medford pharmacy for prescription painkillers. On New Year’s Eve, an ATF agent was killed trying to stop a robbery at a
Feds Release HIPAA Audit Protocol
The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) recently released its HIPAA audit protocol. Audits of HIPAA compliance were mandated by the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act, which amended many parts of HIPAA and included breach notification requirements.
The OCR conducted a number of
NYS Legislature Passes Prescription Drug Reform Package
The recent increase of prescription drug abuse led both chambers of the New York State Legislature to pass the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing (I-STOP) Act on June 11, 2012. The legislation seeks to tighten control over certain controlled substances in an effort to decrease criminal diversion and abuse of such prescription drugs which can
Affordable Care Act: Bundling Payments to Control Costs
Now that the Affordable Care Act has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, the requirement to control costs is critical. One thing we can learn from the experience of near universal coverage in Massachusetts is that providing access to more citizens without containing costs is a recipe for disaster. In 2006 Massachusetts achieved coverage