COMS

NEWS & INFORMATION

Job Opportunity in Groton, CT — Premise Health

Premise Health is proud to announce the opening of our new onsite primary care clinic on the campus of Electric Boat in Groton, CT this fall, and we are looking for a full time Physician and Nurse Practitioner to join our team.

What makes these opportunities unique?

• Practice evidence-based medicine where you are not paid for production
• Bottom line is measured by the quality of patient care
• A work life balance that is not just promised
• A collaborative approach with a focus on each individual patient
• Less paperwork and administration time
• Ability to tap into a national clinical information infrastructure

Premise Health is the nation’s largest worksite health and patient engagement company dedicated to improving the cost and quality of employee healthcare. We believe healthcare should be about helping people get, stay and be well. That’s our mission and it’s the foundation of everything we do. The company serves more than 200 of the nation’s leading employers, including a significant number of the Fortune 1000.

To learn more, contact Jennifer Class at (321)441-9073 or Jennifer.Class@PremiseHealth.com or visit us at Jobs.PremiseHealth.com/Groton.

The WHO's Zika Virus Recommendations

Since the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on Zika virus first met on 1 February, substantial new research has strengthened the association between Zika infection and the occurrence of fetal malformations and neurological disorders. Evidence also suggests that sexual transmission of the virus is more common than previously assumed. Based on these findings the Emergency Committee made Zika virus - new recommendations that include:

•Scaling-up research and development, surveillance, vector control, clinical care, and community engagement;

•Advice for pregnant women not to travel to areas of ongoing Zika virus outbreaks; and

•Advice for pregnant women, whose sexual partners live in or travel to areas with Zika virus outbreaks, to use safe sexual practices or abstain from sex for the duration of their pregnancy (full information for travellers).

—Read all of the Emergency Committee's recommendations
—Listen to the full press briefing on the Second Zika Emergency Committee

Responding to Subpoena for Medical Records May Create Liability for Healthcare Providers Under State Law Negligence Claims

Healthcare providers receiving a subpoena for patient medical records may want to think twice before complying with the subpoena and producing the records. A recent Connecticut case, Byrne v. Avery Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, P.C., arose when the defendant gynecology center received a subpoena to produce the medical records of its patient, who was also a party in a separate action, and the center complied with the subpoena by producing the medical records. The center did not obtain its patient’s authorization and had not received satisfactory assurances that the requesting party had attempted to notify the patient of the subpoena or had attempted to seek entry of a qualified protective order. On November 11, 2014, the Connecticut Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s ruling, holding that HIPAA did not preempt the patient’s claims for negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress arising out of the gynecology center’s disclosure of her subpoenaed medical records in violation of HIPAA privacy regulations, and the HIPAA regulations provided the standard of care applicable to the patient’s negligence claims. Click here for the full story.

EBOLA Preparedness Resources

Dear Colleague,

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) continues to work with other U.S. government agencies, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other domestic and international partners in an international response to the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The attached document summarizes key messages about the outbreak and the response. It will be updated as new information becomes available and distributed regularly. Please share this document with others as appropriate.

The following are updated guidance documents available:

•Open Letter to All U.S. Healthcare Professionals from Dr. Nicole Lurie, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, regarding the current Ebola situation. – Oct. 3, 2014
•Interim Guidance for Environmental Infection Control in Hospitals for Ebola Virus - Updated Oct. 3, 2014
•HAN 371: Evaluating Patients for Possible Ebola Virus Disease: Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel and Health Officials – Oct. 2, 2014
•Interim Guidance: EMS Systems & 9-1-1 PSAPs: Management of Patients in the U.S. - Updated Oct. 1, 2014
•Evaluating Returned Travelers for EVD, U.S. – Oct. 1, 2014
•Checklist for Patients Being Evaluated for EVD, U.S. – Oct. 1, 2014
•Ebola Screening Criteria Template for EMS – Updated Oct. 1, 2014

CDC/ASPR Checklists:

•Detailed Hospital Checklist for Ebola Preparedness
•Checklist for Healthcare Coalitions for Ebola Preparedness
•Detailed Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Checklist for Ebola Preparedness

Webinar Recording Available on Ebola Preparedness for U.S. Health Care System A recording of a recent webinar hosted by ASPR and CDC on Ebola Preparedness for the U.S. health care system is now available for viewing. The webinar focused on the Detailed Hospital Checklist for Ebola Preparedness, which highlights the activities that all hospitals can take to prepare for the possibility of a patient exposed to Ebola arriving for medical care. This information is especially useful for hospital emergency managers, infection control officers, hospital leadership, and clinical staff. The checklist provides practical and specific suggestions to ensure hospitals can detect possible Ebola cases, protect their employees, and respond appropriately.

CDC and ASPR encourage you to visit the CDC Ebola website for the most updated information on the 2014 Ebola response and to share this information with your colleagues and networks.

Sincerely,

Division of Health System Policy
HHS/ASPR/OPP
Thomas P. O’Neill Federal Building
200 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
eccc@hhs.gov

AOA and ACGME Agree to Single GME Accreditation System

After months of discussion, the AOA, along with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), have agreed to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education (GME) programs in the United States.

A single GME accreditation system will evaluate and provide accountability for the competency of physician residents consistently across all GME programs. This ensures the quality and efficiency of postdoctoral education, while preserving the unique dimensions of the osteopathic medical profession and recognizing its contribution to health care in the U.S. Under the agreement:

• From July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2020, AOA-accredited training programs will transition to ACGME recognition and accreditation.
• There will continue to be osteopathic-focused training programs under the ACGME accreditation system. Two osteopathic review committees will be developed to evaluate and set standards for the osteopathic aspects of training programs seeking osteopathic recognition.
• DOs and MDs would have access to all training programs. There will be prerequisite competencies and a recommended program of training for MD graduates who apply for entry into osteopathic-focused programs.
• AOA and AACOM will become ACGME member organizations, and each will have representation on ACGME’s board of directors.

The agreement provides the framework for the osteopathic and allopathic communities to prepare future generations of physicians with the highest quality graduate medical education and serve as a unified voice for graduate medical education resources to help mitigate the primary care physician shortage and better serve the public. A single GME accreditation system ensures that all physicians have access to the primary and sub-specialty training they need for the patients they want to serve. For the osteopathic medical profession, the system recognizes the unique principles and practices of DOs and our contribution to the health and well-being of all Americans. Please visit www.osteopathic.org/acgme for more information.