California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act
When questions arise around the confidentiality of patient records and other healthcare information, providers typically invoke HIPAA- the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which establishes standards for the privacy and security of protected health information. However, HIPAA regulations do not cover all aspects of patient confidentiality, and the rules only apply to “covered entities” who perform certain electronic transactions (although virtually all providers fall into this category). Most importantly, to the extent that state law addresses the same issues as HIPAA, the more “controlling” or limiting law applies. It is therefore important for healthcare providers to...
The Use of Advanced Practice Providers in a Medical Practice: Update 2020
Physicians work with advanced practice providers (APPs) in a variety of medical settings. Advanced practice providers include physician assistants (PAs), and four classifications of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs): nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). As the healthcare industry is experiencing an ever-increasing aging patient population, fewer physicians, is transitioning to value-based reimbursement, APPs are becoming vital to the success of team-based care. In this article we explore the qualifications of APPs, the benefits of employing APPs, as well as the impact they have on the role of physicians. Advanced...
Idaho: Advanced Practice Provider Laws and Regulations
Physician Assistants Qualifications [IDAPA 22.01.03. Subsection 021.01-06]: Graduate accredited PA program; bachelor’s degree; NCCPA exam. MD Supervision of Physician Assistant [IDAPA 22.01.04, Subsections 020.01 – 020.06]: Supervising physicians must register with Idaho’s Board of Medicine and generally may supervise no more than three (3) PAs at a time. The Board may authorize a physician to supervise a total of six (6) PAs contemporaneously if necessary, to provide adequate medical care and upon prior petition documenting adequate safeguards to protect the public health and safety. The supervising MD must: Accept full responsibility for the medical acts and patient services provided by...
Alaska: Advanced Practice Provider Laws and Regulations
Physician Assistants Qualifications [12 AAC 40.400]: Graduate accredited PA program; current NCCPA certificate. MD Supervision of Physician Assistant: Collaborative Plan as defined in 12 AAC 40.410(a)-(j), in part: PA may not practice without at least one collaborative relationship that is documented by a plan on a form provided by the medical board. Must include: Name, license number and specialty of primary supervising physician, at least one alternate collaborative physician, beginning date of employment, physical location of practice, compliance with 12 AAC 40.415 as it pertains to a remote location, and prescriptive authority granted by collaborating physician under the collaborative plan....
Unanticipated Medical Outcomes – Disclosure and Apology
It has been twenty years since the Institute of Medicine report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System was released. Pioneers such as the University of Michigan, University of Illinois, the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Lexington, KY, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) undertook the challenge to research and develop methods to communicate medical errors and other adverse outcomes to patients and families. Disclosure, apology, and potential resolution present particularly challenging topics in the setting of medical professional liability, where state and federal laws and regulations can impact the scope of communication and the...