From Sue . . .

January is a great time to review and plan for the New Year. Your office policies and procedures is a good place to start.

For instance, have you updated your procedures to ensure you are compliant with HIPAA, HITECH and other regulations? Today’s guest author Brian Tuttle, Senior IT Specialist for InGauge Healthcare Solutions, Inc., an InHealth company, shares several steps you should take to make sure your are compliant when it comes to FAXing patients’ private health information.

Another area to review is how patients are handled in person, on the telephone and through electronic communication. Your employees should have specific guidelines to ensure effective communication as well as legal compliance. Our next Third Thursday tele-class is “Maximizing Patient Communication” with Donna Weinstock, President of Office Management Solution. Join us on February 16th to learn more. Click Here to Register.

Here at Efficiency in Practice, we have been busy planning our new year to include some exciting new programs for our readers. Over the next several weeks we’ll be sending you additional information on:

• Tele-classes for 2012

• New resources available through InGauge Healthcare Solutions, InHealth’s newest division

• Information on our expanded Efficiency in Practice Managers Association

Until next time, keep striving for efficiency in your practice!