March 2024

Maintaining a Safe and Healthy Work Environment: Tips for Healthcare

March 29, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 29, 2024 Happy Friday! Cheers to another work week conquered. When at work, we all deserve to feel safe and healthy. Healthcare workers face a unique challenge. You juggle patient care like a pro, but keeping yourself healthy can feel like another battle entirely. Well, we’re here to give you some tips on maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. Safety First! First and foremost, ensure you’re all trained and aware of what you must do to be safe. With software like Abyde, we make training fun! Our entertaining OSHA training challenges the status quo, with interactive activities and videos that can be done at your own pace, keeping your practice open and not in boring training sessions. Get stylish! Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required in the workplace, making sure you all have the, maybe not so fashionable, but functional protective gear to handle any situation in healthcare. For instance, gloves are a MUST, keeping healthcare workers and patients safe from germs. Like a dad on a family vacation, make sure your practice has a plan for every situation, keeping everyone on your team on the same page. Having policies and procedures in place allows your practice to be confident and secure in what you must do to keep all employees safe. Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry! As an Abyde user, we make documentation easy, dynamically generating personal policies and procedures for your practice, giving you a game plan on employee safety. Culture of Compliance We preach about a culture of compliance, but what does that mean? A culture of compliance means much more than understanding compliance. Compliance is not like those late nights in college cram studying for an exam, it’s the deliberate actions that keep you and your team safe every day at work. Compliance isn’t a one-time deal, but the daily commitment to making the right choices. Compliance isn’t just about reacting to problems. A proactive approach, like using Abyde, shows your commitment to preventing issues. Tools like our Facility Risk Assessment help identify areas for improvement before they become concerns, keeping your practice complaint. We even help you with this, with our ongoing compliance notifications, keeping your practice always in check. By building out this culture of compliance, your team can feel empowered: confident and secure in where they work, knowing that they have the knowledge and tools to stay safe. This results in a happier and healthier workplace– and who doesn’t love that? To help you maintain a safe and healthy work environment, reach out to your friends at Abyde! Have questions? email us at info@abyde.com and schedule a compliance consultation here!

OSHA

What are Bloodborne Pathogens?

March 28, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 28, 2024 Want to know what’s up with bloodborne pathogens? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In honor of our blog yesterday about how to handle a sharps accident, we’re venturing into the world of bloodborne pathogens. When working in healthcare, you’ll likely run into bloodborne pathogens, so much so that OSHA developed the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Handling bloodborne pathogens can be risky but with knowledge under your belt and along with the right precautions, you can manage any situation with confidence. Blood Stuff 101 If you get queasy, sorry in advance, but to talk about bloodborne pathogens means, well, we have to talk about blood. Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms in blood and that can cause serious diseases. Some of the most common bloodborne pathogens include malaria, Hepatitis B and C, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Now, the good news is that safety measures are constantly improving. While accidental exposures still happen – around 3 million healthcare workers encounter these pathogens each year – we’re getting better at preventing them. These viruses can wreak havoc on your health but fear not! By handling them with care, we can keep them firmly in their place. Game Over, Germs! Ready to learn how to handle bloodborne pathogens? No sweat! Here are some key things to remember. First, before even handling any bloodborne pathogens, make sure you have a List of Exposure Tasks ready, or your game plan when working with these pesky pathogens. When you’re working with bloodborne pathogens, safely handle them and have disposal ready for any procedure. Utilize the device’s safety features, like needles that retract or have a safety shield. Used needles and other sharps need to go into a biohazard waste basket, separate from other trash. Get suited up! Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required when working with bloodborne pathogens. The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and the CDC standard precautions include gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection, and face shields. If you are accidentally pricked, stay calm and read our article here about the steps you need to take. And of course, make sure you’re trained on bloodborne pathogens and sharps safety. With the Abyde OSHA software, we have entertaining and informational (yes, they can go together!) training on bloodborne pathogens and sharps in our software. The best part? You can complete the training at your own pace. No need to close your practice for the day! Also, an added bonus of the Abyde software includes access to our amazing team of compliance experts, here to answer any of your questions, like any bloodborne pathogen concerns. Want to Never Stress Over Compliance Again? Email us at info@abyde.com and schedule a consultation here!

Best Practices, OSHA

Don’t Panic: Steps to Take After a Sharps Accident

March 27, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 27, 2024 OUCH! Getting pricked by a needle or a sharp object never feels good, especially when you work in healthcare. From the moment you accidentally prick yourself, it’s go-go-go in terms of your safety. Sharps accidents are very common in healthcare. Not only 53% of injuries from disposable syringes affect nurses, but 25% of these injuries impact non-users, like other clinical team members, and even Business Associates (BAs) like waste disposal workers. Since it’s common, It’s super important that you know your game plan if something like this happens. Need some guidance on where to start? Look no further, Abyde has you covered. Stay Calm Everybody, stay calm! To avoid your practice looking like Dunder Mifflin during the fire drill, take some deep breaths. While it’s imperative to start taking care of yourself quickly, staying calm is key. Most of the time, the situation will turn out fine if you take the right steps and follow up with a medical provider. Also, have an Exposure Task Form completed, a preventative measure that lists how your practice handles accidental exposure. With Abyde, we have one ready for you in our software. Let’s Get You Fixed Up Right after the incident occurs, immediately receive First Aid treatment, protecting the wound. Make sure that First Aid equipment is readily available. Then, it’s time for medical attention. By assessing the situation and introducing medical attention, you’re on the right track. Let the doctor taking care of you know your situation, where you work, what kind of sharp it was, and what you might have been exposed to. Depending on the situation, different methods of treatment need to be followed. For instance, if you are exposed to HIV, there is post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, which is medication to prevent the contraction of the disease. You need to be on PEP within three days of exposure, so time is of the essence in needlestick injuries. Blood Report Card Now, I know it’s not fun, but it is very important after getting pricked by a needle or sharp to get blood tested. This blood test will let you know your next steps. When getting a blood test, make sure an HBV/HIV Testing Consent due to Accidental Exposure form is filled out. Additionally, get an Accident/Exposure Investigation Report filled out If you’re an Abyde user, we have both conveniently in our OSHA software, making the paperwork process for this easier. Report it! If a sharps injury occurs, make sure that you report it in the Abyde software! We have convenient Work-Related Injury & Illness and Sharps Injury logs that have all the information needed to report an injury. This information will also be added to your yearly required OSHA forms that are generated from the software. Need some help? We’re here for you with our awesome team of compliance experts, here for you every step of the way as you navigate this stressful process. Unfortunately, Mistakes Happen Mistakes happen. It’s totally normal to be freaked out a bit. But deep breaths, okay? Staying calm is key for your health and safety. Get checked out ASAP by medical attention and have some blood tests run. Sharps injuries are never a fun situation to deal with, but with the right compliance training and software, your team can be prepared. Your team can easily learn the ropes of OSHA with our easy-to-use software. Analyze your vulnerabilities with our Facility Risk Assessment, seeing what your practice needs to know to ensure a safe work environment. Our OSHA software also includes thorough, but enjoyable, training on everything you need to know, including how to handle bloodborne pathogens and sharps incidents! Learn more about how Abyde can help your practice achieve grade-A compliance, email us at info@abyde.com and schedule a compliance consultation here.

OSHA

The History of OSHA: More than Just Regulations

March 26, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 26, 2024 A long time ago in a galaxy far far away… Okay, maybe the history of OSHA might not be that entertaining. But, let’s be honest, being aware of the history of safety measures for your practice might be a little more important than knowing the planet Obi-Wan Kenobi is from (Stewjon, if you’re wondering). Today, we’re going over the history of OSHA. Don’t worry about this being a total snoozefest like history classes in high school, that’s not what we do here. Get comfortable, because we’re diving right into the history of this agency for workers’ rights. Back to Basics OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is the government agency that ensures employees are safe and healthy. When workplaces do not follow OSHA protocols, consequences are sure to follow. OSHA dates back to 1970. Now, most might think of the 60s and 70s as a time of bell bottoms and groovy music, but before OSHA, there were few, if any, standards for employee safety. There were attempts before for federal-level workers’ safety legislation under Lyndon B. Johnson in ‘68, but were unsuccessful. Before OSHA, just in the year 1970, over 14,000 people died at work. As more people were hurt and fatally injured at work, something had to happen. After years of trying to get workers’ safety regulated on a federal level, on December 29, 1970, Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, or the OSH Act. Now, that’s something a lot better on your resume than Watergate! What Does This Mean? Okay, awesome, it was signed. Now what? How did this piece of legislation lead to the OSHA we know and love today? Well, the OSH Act went into effect early the following year, on April 28, 1971. As a result of workers’ safety regulations reaching a federal level, OSHA and the NIOSH, or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, were established. OSHA and NIOSH (say that three times fast!) are sister agencies, with the same mission of mitigating and eliminating workplace injuries. OSHA’s job is to enforce regulations and standards, while NIOSH is the researcher, making recommendations on new legislation to keep employees safe. In its first decade, OSHA set out to tackle some of the largest issues in the workplace: asbestos, lead, carcinogens and cotton dust. OSHA training standards were established, and some whistleblower protections were also introduced. OSHA got busy, fast. Over its course of existence, there have been numerous rules and legislation adopted to ensure the safety of employees. For instance, in the 80s, the Supreme Court ruled that the OSH Act protects employees who refuse unsafe work. The 80s (other than awesome movies) included legislation for the certification of equipment, and protection against noise, grain dust, and hazardous energy. The 90s, a time full of grunge and social awareness, introduced numerous healthcare rules, like how to handle bloodborne pathogens in the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, falls, toxic substances, laboratory safety, and more. There have been a variety of historical events that have influenced OSHA in the 21st century. In the 2000s, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina brought into focus new protections and emergency response plans. The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was also signed, revolutionizing the medical field, requiring things like safer medical devices and a sharps injury log. The 2010s welcomed new rules regarding oil spills in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The latest major OSHA history news surrounds COVID-19, with the unprecedented pandemic introducing new rules to ensure employees were safe. OSHA in Action OSHA has made an undeniable impact on the safety of employees. Since OSHA was established, workplace deaths and illnesses have fallen by nearly 70%! Since its introduction in 1970, OSHA has empowered employees to feel safe at work by providing safety guidelines and enforcement. Without OSHA, employees would not have the safety frameworks they need and deserve to do their jobs safely. We hope you’ve enjoyed our history lesson today. A+s for all of our Abyde users! While OSHA has greatly benefited the safety of employees, it’s up to your practice to make sure you’re following OSHA protocols, keeping your employees safe. Abyde can be your OSHA solution, making sure you’re staying OSHA-compliant and up-to-date with all legislation. To learn more about where your practice’s compliance currently stands, email us at info@abyde.com and schedule a consultation here.

Best Practices, OSHA

Safety First: How OSHA Benefits Your Practice

March 25, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 25, 2024 Happy Monday! For many of us, this is the start of another busy week. For our awesome healthcare providers, we’re putting the spotlight on your safety today. This week, let’s think about what keeps us safe on the job. Thanks to government agencies like OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, we can stay safe at work and focus on providing excellent care. Now, here are some of the amazing things that OSHA does to benefit your practice. Happy & Healthy Workplace OSHA provides regulations to ensure that you are safe and healthy at work. Since OSHA came around in 1970, workplace deaths and illnesses have plummeted by nearly 70%! Workplace regulations do save lives and are vital for a happy and healthy workplace. OSHA in healthcare gives employees the safety map they need at work, with guidelines for preventative measures, required equipment, identifying hazards in your practice (like how bloodborne pathogens are no joke!), training, and recordkeeping and reporting. OSHA allows employees to feel confident and empowered, having a supportive framework with their safety in mind. Taking Care of Business Happy and empowered employees are up to 20% more productive! OSHA cultivates this environment by ensuring employees have the knowledge and resources to stay safe. OSHA goes beyond just rules. When OSHA regulation is properly followed, a culture of compliance is created, with employees feeling valued and ready to take on what’s next in their jobs. When you feel confident in your workplace safety, you can focus your energy on taking care of patients. Staying Safe Feeling safe is key to success in any organization, but in healthcare, it’s paramount. Working in healthcare can be hazardous. For instance, in 2019, hospitals recorded 221,400 illnesses and injuries at work. The good news: this doesn’t have to be your practice if you take the right precautions. Abyde is your OSHA solution. We offer comprehensive software for all of your workplace safety needs in an easy-to-understand way. We have a Facility Risk Assessment, which takes minutes and sets the baseline for your practice, seeing what you need to do to ensure a happy and healthy workplace. We’ll also take care of your policies with our dynamically generated documentation, making sure you’re staying OSHA compliant. Not sure what your training needs to include? Well, we have it all covered with our software, with our entertaining do-at-your-own-pace training. Don’t think we forgot about OSHA safety logs, which when logged into the software, will generate an OSHA-compliant log to be reported for the year. OSHA greatly benefits your practice, keeping your employees healthy, safe, and happy. This translates to increased productivity and better patient care. Becoming OSHA-compliant isn’t a hassle with compliance solutions like Abyde. To see what your practice needs to do to be OSHA-compliant, schedule a consultation with our experts here!

Abyde News

Abyde Feature Week: Training Portal

March 22, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 22, 2024 Is it over already? But, we’ve been having so much! If you’re not aware, this past week, we’ve been going over all the amazing features the Abyde software has to offer, simplifying compliance for your business. Every second counts when it comes to running your business, and complex HIPAA regulations are the last thing you need to stress about. That’s where Abyde comes in. Over the past week, we’ve gone through a variety of our cutting-edge features. For example, the once daunting Security Risk Analysis (SRA)? Yeah, we turned it into a questionnaire that can be completed in minutes. We have a Scorecard that keeps track of your HIPAA triumphs and shortcomings, letting you know the best compliance practices. In the spirit of efficiency, we also dynamically generate your custom policies and procedures. Oh yeah, we also streamline Business Associate Agreements with our BA | CE Portal, making the only thing you have to do is digitally sign. Now, the last feature of this wonderful week will be our entertaining training. Yes, pick your jaw off the floor, Abyde actually makes HIPAA compliance training fun. Level Up! Routine training is required to keep you and your staff on point when it comes to compliance protocols. Compliance training might not be synonymous with fun to most, so that’s where Abyde once again has changed the compliance game. Gone are the days when you’d need to shut down your business, hire a third-party consultant, and spend the whole day talking about HIPAA. With Abyde, we create short, simple, and entertaining training, giving over everything you need to know to be compliant. We’re always getting better here at Abyde, and some of my favorite new trainings are interactive, making sure your staff is engaged and learning. Best part? This training can be completed at your own pace, so no need to shut down the business for the day! Need to follow up with employees who haven’t completed training? You can do that with a click of a button, reminding staff with a friendly email from us. In the words of the Staples button – That was easy! Feature Finale We had a fantastic week going through all the amazing features that make Abyde, well, Abyde! Now, let’s remember that continuous compliance lasts a lot longer than this week, and is a staple to the success of your business. Think about the countless hours you save with Abyde’s innovative solutions. Abyde can and will make compliance for your business simple and easy. It’s what we do best. We’re here to equip businesses with the tools they need to keep Protected Health Information (PHI) safe and secure. BAs are in a unique situation – running both a business and then being entrusted with the responsibility of protecting sensitive patient information. We’re here to make compliance easy so you can focus on running your business. To learn more about Abyde’s revolutionary software solution, email us at info@abyde.com and schedule a demo here to see it in action.

Best Practices, Business Associates, HIPAA

Abyde Feature Week: BA | CE Portal

March 21, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 21, 2024 Let’s go! Day number four of Feature Week. We hope you’ve stayed tuned as we go over all the wonderful features that make Abyde the leading compliance software for Business Associates (BAs). We know that running your business can be tough, so we simplify compliance, so you can focus on being successful in your business. So far, this week we’ve gone over our intuitive Security Risk Analysis (SRA), our unique Scorecard, telling you what you need to do to be compliant based on your answers, and yesterday, our dynamically generated custom Policies and Procedures, saving your business countless hours in drafting documentation. How does this software get even better? Well, it does! Today, we’ll go over our state-of-the-art BA and CE (Covered Entity) Portal, where you can manage your Business Associate Agreements (BAAs). As we say here at Abyde, who does it better than us? NOBODY! BAA-lieve It or Not: The Importance of Business Associate Agreements A Business Associate Agreement, or a BAA, is an agreement between a BA and CE, or a Sub-BA, that outlines the roles and responsibilities of both parties when it comes to securing Protected Health Information (PHI). In simpler terms: a contract that spells out what each party needs to do when it comes to HIPAA compliance. One of the top HIPAA violations BAs make is not having a Business Associate Agreement in place. This agreement is required by the government, making sure both parties are aware of the responsibilities that come along with handling sensitive patient information. BAs must have agreements in place with all CEs and Sub-BAs they work with. Managing these agreements could be complicated without Abyde, being unaware of what needs to go into an agreement, getting it over to be signed and knowing when these agreements expire. But with Abyde, you don’t need to worry about this, simplifying the compliance process even more. Like how we dynamically generate custom Policies and Procedures, we create BAAs for you. All we need you to do is digitally sign. The BAA will be sent over by email through the software and will be stored in our nifty BA | CE Portal. Have an agreement expiring soon? We’ll notify you, giving you plenty of time to update your documentation so you can stay compliant. All BAAs are easily downloadable from the software and can be reviewed at all times. Have a partner who hasn’t signed yet? We’ll send reminders for them, too. With our revolutionary features, we think it’s clear: we want to make compliance the easiest part of running your business. To learn more about how you can manage your Business Associate Agreements with the Abyde software, email info@abyde.com and see it in action here.

Abyde News

Feature Week: Custom Policies and Procedures

March 20, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 20, 2024 Wait. Hold up. Are we already halfway through our Feature Week? For those unfamiliar, we’re taking this week to celebrate what makes Abyde unique. We are highlighting the features that make Abyde well, Abyde! Abyde is the leading compliance software for healthcare practices and Business Associates. Over the last few days, we’ve shared how Abyde’s Security Risk Analysis (SRA) and Scorecard simplify compliance. Our SRA, a required assessment by the government, takes just minutes to complete. Then, SRA generates a Scorecard that analyzes your assessment and provides clear recommendations, ensuring a thorough evaluation. Can you believe there are more amazing features of the Abyde software? Today, we’re highlighting the dynamically generated policies and procedures. Doable Documentation Now, you might be wondering, what’s the big deal about this documentation? Well, if you haven’t noticed, documentation is a big deal in compliance, showing the government that you are on top of keeping Protected Health Information (PHI) safe. HIPAA requires that your business has to have custom, personalized policies and procedures documented. Cookie-cutter templates are not going to cut it when it comes to compliant documentation. Now, before you start to wonder how you are ever going to write all these policies, take a deep breath. We’re here to help. The Abyde software will dynamically generate policies and procedures for you. All we need from you is some simple information, then voila! The software will generate an extensive policy or procedure for you. Have any changes to your business? No worries, mark the change in your Abyde software, and we’ll instantly create a document with the newest information. Abyde stores all your policies, new and old, in the software, keeping things organized for your business. Our dynamically generated policy and procedures save your practice countless hours of writing documentation, letting you focus on what matters most, running your business. To learn more about how Abyde can help your business, email info@abyde.com and see the policy and procedure generation in action by scheduling a demo here for Business Associates.

Cybersecurity, HIPAA

Abyde Feature Week: Scorecard

March 19, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 19, 2024 Welcome to Feature Week! Whether you stayed tuned from last week, or are a first-time reader, we are celebrating the features that Abyde offers to make it easy for your practice to stay compliant. Yesterday, we highlighted Abyde’s state-of-the-art Security Risk Analysis (SRA), turning a complicated evaluation of your business’s compliance practices into a simple questionnaire that can be completed in minutes. Once your SRA is done, the Scorecard comes into play. Get comfortable and stay tuned on how this feature can make HIPAA a breeze for your business. Keeping Score Whew!, That SRA wasn’t so bad, right? So, what’s next? This isn’t a scorecard like in golf but is a hole-in-one when it comes to monitoring your compliance practices. The Scorecard is a review of your answers to the SRA and gives your business a thorough explanation of how your current practices hold up against regulations, and what your organization can do to improve. The SRA is like a coach’s playbook, outlining the game plan for HIPAA compliance. The Scorecard is this plan in action, like reviewing your game tape, seeing what you need to improve and what vulnerabilities you have as a business. This scorecard is easy to review and gives your business the risk levels of your current practices. Each question is unique, and some practices are more critical than others. For instance, only changing your password every six months is not ideal, but not as risky as not encrypting your files. Unfortunately, some practices will never be ‘low risk’, even if they are not wrong just because there’s always the chance of human and technological errors. For instance, numerous employees working remotely while handling Protected Health Information (PHI) is always going to be riskier than all PHI staying in one location. Impacted by a breach? You can easily show proof of a Security Risk Analysis by downloading the Scorecard in the software, showing the government that you take HIPAA seriously. You can also see every version of your Scorecard in the software, seeing how your path to compliance has gotten easier with the help of Abyde. Ready to keep your HIPAA compliance score? Reach out to info@abyde.com and schedule a demo here for your business.

Cybersecurity, HIPAA

Abyde Feature Week: Security Risk Analysis

March 18, 2024 Gaurav Modi Comments Off

March 18, 2024 For some, this might be Spring Break, but we have something even more exciting planned: Feature Week! Throughout this week, we are going to share the amazing things we have to offer Business Associates (BAs) for HIPAA compliance. I know that Spring Break and software features might seem like worlds apart, but somehow at Abyde, we make compliance and simplicity go hand in hand. So, get comfortable, fix your beach chair, grab a drink, and see how Abyde can make your compliance journey easy with our Security Risk Analysis (SRA). What is a Security Risk Analysis (SRA)? A Security Risk Analysis (SRA) is a required assessment of risks and vulnerabilities of how Protected Health Information (PHI) is handled. The quick 411– PHI is identifiable information about a patient, like a social security number, medical records and more. The Security Risk Analysis, established in the Security Rule, is an overall evaluation of how your business properly protects PHI, ranging from how often you change the passwords on your systems, to security alarms on the door of the business. This assessment is required, and organizations’ lack of one is a common HIPAA violation. Last year, a BA was fined $100,000 by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) after they were impacted by a ransomware attack. One of the first things the OCR looks for is an SRA. As you might’ve guessed, there was no SRA in place, contributing to the hefty fine. How Abyde can help There’s A LOT of information to go through, and it might be overwhelming. That’s where our simplified Security Risk Analysis comes in. With Abyde, you can now analyze your processes without needing to hire a consultant or trying to audit yourself by referring to tons of paperwork. Before Abyde, an SRA could take weeks. With Abyde, it takes minutes. Our simple questions get straight to the point, and if you don’t know the answer to something? Don’t worry! You can mark the question and it will come back up later in our Ongoing Questions section on the dashboard, or call our team of compliance experts for help. Abyde is here to make compliance simple. It’s what we do best. Stay tuned for the next day in our feature week: our Scorecard. To learn more about the features of the Abyde software, email us at info@abyde.com and see the software in action by scheduling a demo here for Business Associates and here for Covered Entities.