Ease the Way - Gebauer Patient Comfort Blog (27)

4 Helpful Tips for Ensuring HIPAA Compliance

By: Bethany Nock | On: June 23, 2016

A violation of HIPAA regulations, even if the infraction is accidental, can be costly.

If HIPAA rules are unintentionally violated, the Office for Civil Rights assesses a $100 fine per offense. If the infraction was willful and no attempt was made to correct the problem, the fine can escalate to $50,000.

HIPAA violations can cost your institution thousands of dollars and damage the relationships you’ve worked so hard to establish with your patients. These tips can help you ensure HIPAA compliance and keep patient information safe.

Promote Patient Independence: A 5-Step Guide

By: Bethany Nock | On: June 21, 2016

In this era of patient-centered care, motivating patients to take charge of their health care is more important than ever. Patients who take a more active role in managing their health are more likely to stick to treatment plans and often experience an improved quality of life.

This five-step guide will help you how to promote patient independence and teach patients how to become more autonomous.

How EHR Incentives and Meaningful Use Will Change in 2016

By: Bethany Nock | On: June 15, 2016

The Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) incentive program and Meaningful Use have been controversial since their establishment in 2010. The popular opinion was they placed too much importance on patient data and not enough on the actual patients.

The good news is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recognized the flaws in the system and announced in January 2016 that Meaningful Use as it currently existed would be discontinued.

Read on to learn what brought about this reform and how it could impact your practice.

3 Types of Pediatric Therapy to Consider

By: Julianne Filion | On: June 8, 2016

Hospital visits and trips to the doctor’s office are rarely pleasant, and chronically ill pediatric patients (along with their families) must make those treks on an all-too-often basis. Healthcare professionals who sympathize with this and adopt patient-centered care tend to see higher levels of patient satisfaction since the focus is on providing the best possible experience for their patients.

In this article, we discuss three types of pediatric therapy that can help foster a more positive environment for your patients and their loved ones.

3 Cultural Congruence Mistakes that Can Hurt Patient Satisfaction

By: Julianne Filion | On: June 2, 2016

Although they’re following traditional American customer care best practices, your nursing staff may be unintentionally disrespectful to patients if they aren’t taking the patient’s cultural or religious background into account during interactions. Behaviors that are acceptable to some of your patients, such as shaking hands or making eye contact when speaking, may be seen in an entirely different way by patients from other cultures.

Emphasizing culturally congruent care—an approach that blends patient care with patient values, beliefs, lifestyle and traditions—can help every patient feel comfortable and increase your CAHPS scores. Culturally congruent care involves a personalized approach, rather than a cookie cutter method.

Avoiding the following errors will help you ensure patients are satisfied with the care they receive.