www.ormc.org
An award winning newsletter for Orange Regional Medical Center employees, physicians and volunteers
April 2018
From The President & CEO Protecting our patients' information is very important. We, as an organization, are required, trusted and expected to protect our patients’ privacy. Patients receive “Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices” upon admission that outlines their rights. The law requires that we, as hospital employees, do Scott Batulis not access medical records unnecessarily President & CEO or out of curiosity. Likewise, we should not be discussing a patient’s care or health information, with anyone, unless it is within our job duties to do so. I understand that there are times, such as high volume in the ED, when it is difficult to maintain a patient’s privacy. Please do your best under these circumstances.
Thank you for protecting the privacy of our patients. It is the right thing to do.
The law requires only viewing records that necessitate providing appropriate and safe patient care. Our Compliance Department maintains HIPAA policies and procedures, and provides training, education and resource tools to make sure we follow the law. And, the Information Technology (IT) Department conducts routine and random audits to make sure employees are following HIPPA policies. Remember, we are required to record and save every time someone accesses a medical record. Even when we are off duty, or even if we leave the organization, the HIPAA rules must be followed. Additionally, staff is not permitted to access their own health records or those of family members. Your personal medical records can be accessed through MyChart.
DNV GL’s accreditation program involves annual hospital surveys and encourages openly sharing information across departments which often uncovers improvements in clinical workflows and safety protocols. Thank you to everyone involved in our recent survey.
I’m pleased to announce that we have received our formal accreditation from DNV GL Healthcare. This is the new accrediting organization that has replaced the Joint Commission. DNV GL’s innovative program integrates ISO 9001 compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation. ISO 9001 is the preeminent quality management system used by people-intensive businesses around the world. We’ve embraced ISO as a way to identify, standardize and then improve upon the most successful approaches to patient care, billing and other critical aspects to managing our health system.
Hospital Week and Nurses Week both start on Sunday, May 6. I hope everyone enjoys the festivities that are planned to celebrate each and every one of our hospital family members. Thank you for all you do. Sincerely,
Scott Batulis, President & CEO
GHVHS Compliance Program Receives Quality Excellence Award The Greater Hudson Valley Health System’s Compliance team has been awarded the 2018 Partners in Performance Excellence Process Recognition Award for its excellence in implementing a successful compliance management system throughout our growing enterprise. “We could not be prouder of the Compliance Team here at our health system,” said GHVHS Chief Compliance Officer, Stephen J. Sugrue. “From start to finish, our staff provides every patient with ethical and knowledgeable care and it is great to see this translate into industry recognition." GHVHS Compliance Team accepting PiPEX award. (L to R) Natasha Mele, Executive Assistant; Harriette Muir, Compliance Audit Manager; Stephen J. Sugrue, Chief Compliance Officer; Scott Batulis, President & CEO; Trish Manna, Director of Compliance, Audit, HIPAA Privacy and PiPEX Executive Director, Bill Self.