Prevention is better than the cure: Getting privacy compliance right is essential practice management.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring compliance with privacy law is not just a matter of respecting patient confidentiality. The past year has seen the introduction of new legal requirements including data breach notification, and higher penalties for breaches of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth). Disturbingly, the first reporting period shows that the health sector has the highest number of data breaches of any sector. OBJECTIVE: This article outlines the key steps a health practice can take towards managing its privacy compliance. DISCUSSION: The absence of a privacy compliance program can itself be a breach of the Privacy Act, even if no personal information was lost or misused in any way. Health service providers need to place a fresh focus on their legal compliance.

Records access and management on closure of a medical practice.

Despite uneven regulation, health practitioners registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency have immediate and continuing obligations to patients when contemplating practice closure. Recent enforcement actions by regulators highlight the importance of knowledge and compliance with requirements relating to record management.

Avoiding the courthouse.

Four human resources topics commonly generate lawsuits for physicians: covenants not to compete, discrimination, independent contractor status, and disruptive physician behavior. A customized manual in a physician's practice can aid in effective communication and in implementing human resources policies and procedures.

Manage your online reputation--or someone else will.

In the Internet age, managing one's online "reputation" is a challenging but important task for board-certified plastic surgeons. In this article, the authors discuss the options for ensuring that your Internet presence accurately reflects the quality of your practice.

Removing barriers to APRN practice in the state of Hawai'i.

An informal coalition of nurses, educators, health care providers and policy makers recognizing that administrative rules for advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) practice limited consumer access to care in Hawai'i, developed an initiative to bring about legislative and regulatory change using the National Council of State Boards of Nursing APRN Scope of Nursing Practice and Standards Related to the APRN. The authors report on the process including challenges and keys to success toward the passage of Hawai'i Act 169 (2009). The authors also discuss key components of the legislation, which removed barriers to full scope of practice for APRNs. The potential for comprehensive reform was realized due to the actions of a broad coalition in support of increasing access to care for underserved and rural populations in Hawai'i.