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Customer service is the cornerstone of every business. The concept of excellent customer service is used in many brand taglines to assure customers that their wellbeing is the most important aspect of the customer-business relationship. Satisfaction surveys are issued by every industry, store and business; auto dealers call to see if you like your car,  Continue Reading »

We know that physician practices can benefit tremendously by developing and following a proactive risk management program. Sound practices can improve patient safety, avoid lawsuits and ensure consistent regulatory compliance. Each practice is unique and therefore needs an individualized approach based on factors such as specialty type and patient profiles – but we have outlined  Continue Reading »

We know from experience that healthcare organizations and their providers can benefit tremendously from a robust risk management program. Sound practices can help protect patients, avoid lawsuits and improve compliance. I asked our risk management partner, Michelle Foster Earle, President of OmniSure Consulting Group, what OmniSure recommends to its clients. “Managing risk in any organization  Continue Reading »

Rehabilitation therapy in long term care facilities is under the microscope with Center for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG has penalized facilities for the actions of the vendor providing therapy. For example, Life Centers of America paid $145 million to settle a government lawsuit for allegedly submitting  Continue Reading »

Cyber security placed first in a list of emerging casualty risks among insurance buyers according to a survey of 135 insurance professionals conducted by London-based specialty lines broker RKH Specialty. 70 percent of respondents put cyber risk in the top spot. According to a Best’s News Service Article* about the survey, healthcare and retailers have  Continue Reading »

When it comes to risk management in long term care facilities, leadership may focus on clinical risks, such as medication errors or physical safety risks such as falls – but there is a broad spectrum of risks that can lead to lawsuits. The long term care experts from Ultra’s risk management partner OmniSure Consulting Group  Continue Reading »

Imagine this nightmare scenario – you’re a retail insurance broker who specializes in healthcare and one of your clients calls in a panic to say that there has been a data breach in their six-office dermatology practice – a thumb drive was lost or stolen and it contained personal information for 2,200 patients. They’re coming  Continue Reading »

Most healthcare entities do not have a plan in place to respond to and handle a cyber breach. There is a lot of confusing information going around – by people who may not be experts. Here are the most common errors made by healthcare organizations when secure data is compromised: Mistake #1 Hiring an attorney who lacks  Continue Reading »

As the healthcare industry adopts electronic medical records and increasingly relies on technology, providers and facilities face new challenges in protecting patient information and minimizing their exposure to cyber risks. The healthcare industry is the most targeted and the least prepared industry when it comes to cyber attacks. Criminal hacking is now the leading cause  Continue Reading »

Misconception #1 Cyber breaches are mostly a result of foreign offshore sophisticated hackers who are only targeting large retail and healthcare systems. In reality, the most common types of breaches are: Lost, stolen or missing electronic assets Improper disposal of data Paper documents not shredded File cabinets with sensitive contents Prescription bottles X-Ray images Electronic  Continue Reading »