MassMedia Medical Marketing & Media - VOL7

VOLUME 7w w w.M a s sMEdia hE a Lt h.cOM

Build Your Practice:How tHe AffordAble CAre ACt CAN Help pAge 6

HIppA: Safeguarding Your practice from Health Care's Most powerful Acronym Page 4

the patient experience Page 8

Q&A: United blood Services - Nevada with Mindi Johnson, R.N., B.S., H.P. Page 10

Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada: Health Care for the people, driven by the people Page 11

2 • MassMedia Medical Marketing & Media Review • Volume 7

04 HIPPA:SafeguardingYourPracticefromHealthCare’sMostPowerfulAcronym

08 ThePatientExperience

11 VolunteersinMedicineofSouthernNevada:HealthCareforthePeople,DrivenbythePeople

10 Q&A:UnitedBloodServices-Nevadawith Mindi Johnson, R.N., B.S., H.P.

06 BuildYourPractice:HowtheAffordableCareActWillHelpYou

Table of Contents

PagE 4 PagE 6 PagE 11

Articles Community

Featured Article

MassMedia Medical Marketing & Media is published quarterly by MassMedia Healthcare Marketing 2863 St. Rose Parkway, Henderson, NV 89052. Telephone 702.433.4331, fax 702.433.4566, www.massmediahealth.com.

Postmaster: Send address changes to MassMedia Medical Marketing & Media, 2863 St. Rose Parkway, Henderson, NV 89052, or call 702.433.4331.

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Volume 7 • MassMedia Medical Marketing & Media Review • 3

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Featured Article ByJesseScott—@jesseRscott

HIPPA: Safeguarding Your practice from Health Care’s Most powerful Acronym

BMI. CPR. NICU. PCP. RN.

›› The health care industry is chock-full of acronyms.

Take any one to 10-letter concoction and it likely carries meaning in the medical world. Amid the countless abbreviations that imply different things to different practitioners, there is one five-letter acronym that is critically important to anyone and everyone coming in contact with the health care industry.

›› That acronym is HIPAA.HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) has been around since 1996 and has evolved in scope and complexity over the past 16-plus years. HIPAA started out as an initiative that protected the health insurance coverage of workers as they changed employment, and has morphed into a multifaceted federal guideline designed to safeguard electronic health care records, enhance data security and ensure patient privacy.

HIPAA guidelines emphasize the protection of patients’ personal information and establish limitations to disclosing identifying information. In today’s modern, information-driven world, one wrong data transfer, human error or lost laptop could spell absolute disaster for any health care organization, big or small.

Companies must learn from the mistakes of others, educate their employees, make HIPAA a regular discussion point and start taking privacy policies seriously in order to stay in business.


›› Paying the Price

In 2009, CVS Caremark paid nearly $2.25 million dollars for a HIPAA violation because some CVS locations were throwing patients’ personal information away in unsecured trash bins. Since, federal authorities have taken a strict stance on enforcing privacy regulations.

Just last year, the UCLA Health System was forced to pay an $865,000 fine due to improperly disclosing the records

of Tom Cruise, Britney Spears and Maria Shriver, among others. In this case, employees of the UCLA Health System allegedly snooped into the celebrities’ records and simply viewed information

that wasn’t meant for their eyes.

“People are under the general misconception that because someone is an employee of a facility or a

provider, that they can look at any type information,” said Patricia Sanchez, an attorney at Fenton Nelson in Los Angeles, specializing in the development of corporate HIPAA compliance plans and policy manuals.

“Employees should only be handling the minimum information necessary to complete given tasks, otherwise they are going outside of their permitted disclosure.”

›› Educating the Workforce

Sanchez has seen her share of HIPAA-related mistakes, having represented a number of California’s most reputable health care organizations. From faxed papers and computer screens being publicly visible to company Facebook posts disclosing patients’ identities, Sanchez has pinpointed that a lack of education and attention are the primary reasons for violations.

“The biggest problem is that companies are not educating the workforce on what true access to health information is,” said Sanchez. “We like to help our clients through the process of being HIPAA compliant. They need help developing policies and procedures, training their staff, conducting walk-through assessments and pinpointing any red flags.”

To prevent a HIPAA violation, Sanchez recommends that companies create their own, custom-tailored HIPAA policy and make sure to keep a detailed paper trail of any HIPAA-related training.

“Companies are going out there and buying products and services from lawyers and consultants that aren’t tailored to their needs and they’re not getting help with implementation,” said Sanchez.

“Documentation is so important. In an audit, they ask for all of the acknowledgements, all of the signed personnel sheets… you must have a paper trail of everything you do. Everything needs to be documented.”

›› Keeping it Fresh

In addition to providing quality care, adhering to HIPAA guidelines has become a top priority for many health care organizations across the United States. One of those organizations is HealthCare Partners Nevada, a leading Las Vegas-based coordinated care network consisting of more than 270 physicians and over 1,000 employees.

“We are constantly educating our employees,” said Denise Warren, Clinical Compliance Specialist for HealthCare Partners Nevada. “Every employee of [HealthCare Partners] is required to take a yearly online course and participate in continual training.”

HealthCare Partners Nevada has six full-time employees devoted to HIPAA, plus a HIPAA privacy officer and a 20-member “privacy committee.” The privacy committee meets quarterly, along with the company’s IT department, to review the company’s compliance with HIPAA regulations and patient privacy guidelines.

“It really is a team effort,” said Warren. “We all work together to assure our patients’ privacy and general wellbeing.”

›› Taking it Seriously

HIPAA is no laughing matter to the companies who take a proactive approach to their patients’ privacy. With potential fines, government audits and patient lawsuits looming with a simple mistake, it certainly helps to be organized.

“Companies need to start looking at HIPAA very seriously,” said Warren. “The federal government just started doing audits… before they had never done privacy audits and recently hired a firm to come out and make sure everything is okay. They’re not starting with the big companies and hospitals, but with the private practices.”

While HIPAA may seem daunting, scary and downright tedious at times, Sanchez said that it is only enforced to keep patients safe and make health care organizations stronger.

“It really forces people to be organized and to know where everything is,” said Sanchez. “When you really, really become HIPAA compliant, you become paperwork and data compliant and know how information is relayed back and forth.”


Need more patients for your practice? When the Affordable Care Act passed, pundits were quick to declare the winners and the losers. Both columns were equally long. Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law and, whatever your political affiliation may be and whether or not you agree with the law, there’s one thing that is certain: it presents an incredible opportunity for Nevada’s providers to differentiate themselves from their peers and capture a great number of patients that simply were not there before.

Build Your Practice: How the Affordable Care Act

Will Help You

Marketing ByCharlesBlumenthal—@CBlumenthalNV

do the Math Justlookatthenumberofnewpatientsenteringthehealthcaremarketanddothemath.Onthecampaigntrail,

PresidentObamadeclaresthatundertheAffordableCareAct,30millionpeoplewillbeadded.However,non-

partisanorganizationFactCheck.orgtookalookatthisfigureandfoundthePresidentwaslow-ballingit.According

toFactCheck.org,“evenifwesubtracttheestimated10millionuninsuredwhoarenotU.S.citizens…withthe

CensusBureaunowreporting46.3millionpeoplewithoutinsurance,onemightthinkthatthecorrectfigureshould

becloserto36.3millioncitizenswithoutinsurance.”


AccordingtotheU.S.Census’CommunityPopulation

Survey,approximately21.3percentofNevadaresidents

areuninsured,comparedto16percentnationally.A

reportbyFamiliesUSA,releasedin2009,statesthat

figureismuchhigher.Thatreportfoundmorethanone

outofthreepeople(37.2percentor841,000individuals)

inNevadaundertheageof65wentwithouthealth

insuranceforallorpartofthetwo-yearperiodbetween

2007and2008.

NewrulesincludedintheAffordableCareAct,

combinedwithgrantsinthestimulus,dramatically

reduceadministrativeburdensplacedonphysicians.

Theirrolesmakeiteasierforphysicianstodealwith

insurancecompaniesandhelpphysiciansimplement

theirownelectronicmedicalrecordsystem.

TheAffordableCareActisalsointendedtoreducethe

amountoftimephysiciansspendonemergencyservice,

freeingthemuptofocusonpreventativecare.Research

showsmorepatientswillbewillingtoseektreatment

beforetheygetverysickordeveloplife-alteringillnesses

becausetheyhaveinsurance.

So, you’ve got a big new pool of patients and you can make room for them in your practice. what now? Themostimportantthingtorememberisthat

theAffordableCareActhasraisedthenational

understandingofwhatqualityhealthcareis.Patientsold

andnewaremoreeducatedabouttheirhealthcareand

theyhavebecomesmarterhealthcareshoppers.They

arenowmoreadeptatchoosingadoctorandmaking

decisionsabouttheirhealthcare.Theprovidersthatcan

standoutfromthecrowdaregoingtowinbiginthis

newmarket.

Markettoyoungadults.Studiesshowthatadisproportionate

number,nearlyhalf,oftheuninsured

areunder30.Whentheseindividuals

enterthehealthcaremarket,theyare

goingtoturnprimarilytotheinternettomakedecisions

aboutwhichdoctortochoose.Yourwebsite,social

mediaoutletsandentriesonreviewsitesaregoingto

takeonanewimportancewiththisaudience.Theytell

acomprehensivestoryaboutyouasaproviderthatis

goingtoinformtheirproviderselectiondecision.

Geo-target.Youmaynotwanttogo

afterall841,000newly

insuredpatientsinNevada.

Thesheersizeofthe

uninsuredpopulation

inNevadamakesitvery

likelythatmanyofthem

areyourneighborsand

livearoundyouroffice.

Readilyavailableconsumerinformationmakesit

easiertospecificallyidentifythenewlyinsuredsoyou

canwhittlethepatientsyouaretargetingdowntoa

manageablepool.

ConsideranACO.BeingapartofanAccountable

CareOrganization(ACO),a

federalexperimentintended

todevelopapproachesfor

providinghighqualitycare

atlowcostswillmakeyou

standoutinacrowdedfield.

For more information on how to take advantage of these developments,

call MassMedia Healthcare Marketing at 702-433-4331


Practice Management

Did you know:

ByAimeeRomero—@AimeeDRomeroKatieQuinn—@KQuinn519

the

Your patient’s experience starts as soon as they head out the door for the appointment? The average waiting room time is 23 minutes? How they spend those 23 minutes in the waiting room can make or break the patient experience?

Lighting- Is the lighting in your waiting room too dark? Too bright?

Decor- Is your waiting room inviting to your patients?

Staff- Is the staff friendly and approachable?

Internet- Do you provide free Wi-Fi?

Magazines- Are the magazines old or new?

Clock- Do your patients know how long the wait is?

Coffee- Do you provide coffee

or snacks?

TV- Is something interesting playing on the TV?

Chairs- How comfortable are the chairs?


Remember, every second spent waiting for an appointment impacts the patient experience. According to Press Ganey, patient satisfaction drops between one and ten percent after every five minutes spent waiting.

However, nearly 95 percent of patients who wait longer than 10 minutes in a comfortable, pleasant waiting room feel satisfied with their patient experience. If they feel the waiting room experience is very poor, less than half leave feeling satisfied. With just a few simple waiting room upgrades, your patients will enjoy their experience and keep coming back.

To-Do List:

1. Keep the magazines on the table up-to-date with a variety of choices that are age and gender appropriate

2. Inform the patient of the current wait time and update them after every 15 minutes 3. Provide comfortable seating 4. Haveonlineformsavailable,sopatientsdon’thavetocompletethemattheoffice5. Make sure the television is on and features an appropriate and entertaining channel or DVD6. Make sure your front desk staff is approachable, smiling and friendly7. Make your space engaging with a small game room, free internet access and additional

power outlets 8. Provide your patients with coffee, hot chocolate, granola bars or water

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Q&A: Community

WhatisTherapeuticApheresis?TherapeuticApheresis(TA)istheremovalofacomponentofbloodthatiscontributingtoapatient'sdisease.Theremovedcomponentcanberedbloodcells,whitebloodcells(includingstemcells),plateletsor,mostcommonly,plasma.

Whattypesofillnesses/diseasescanbetreatedwithTA?TAtreatsmanyillnesses.Forexample,wecaantreatmanyhematologicandautoimmunediseasessuchasMyastheniaGravisandGuillianBarre,LeukemiaandevenSickleCellAnemia.

WhatisthedifferencebetweenTAandTherapeuticPlasmaExchange(TPE)?TAreferstotheremovalofanyoneofthecomponentsofblood.PlasmaExchangespecificallydefinesthattheremovedcomponentisplasma.Thisremovedplasmaisthenreplaced(or"exchanged")witheitherfreshfrozenplasmaor5percentalbuminsolution,dependingonthediseasebeingtreated.

HowlongdoesaTherapeuticApheresistreatmenttakeandhowmanytreatmentsareneeded?TheaverageTAtreatmenttakesabout11/2-2hours.Stemcellcollectionsarequiteabitlonger,takinguptofivehours.Thelengthandnumberoftreatmentsneededvarieswidelydependingonthediseasebeingtreatedandthepatient'sresponsetotreatment.Physiciansmonitorthesepatientscloselytoensurepropertreatmentschedule.

Oneofyourservicesis“ProvengeTransfusion.”Whatdoesittreat?Howsuccessfulhasitbeen?Provengeisacellularimmunotherapymadebyusingthepatient’sownwhitebloodcells.Thepatient’swhitebloodcellsareremovedviaTherapeuticApheresisandarethenusedtomaketheProvengedrug,whichistransfusedbacktothepatientapproximatelythreedaysafterwhitebloodcellcollection.Provengeisusedtotreatcertaininstances

ofprostatecancer.StudieshaveshownthatProvengedoesincreaseoverallsurvivalinthispatientpopulation,whichiswhyitisattheforefrontofwhatmanymedicalprofessionalsbelievetobethefutureofcancertreatment.

WherecanTherapeuticApheresisbeperformed?WhitebloodcellcollectionsspecificallyformakingtheProvengedrugaredoneatablooddonationcenter,butallotherTAinLasVegasisdoneatoneofthelocalhospitals.UBScurrentlytreatspatientsathospitalsincludingUniversityMedicalCenter,St.RoseSiena,St.RoseSanMartinandSt.RoseDelima.

WhatarethequalificationsoftheUBSstaffthatperformsTherapeuticApheresis?TheClinicalServicesgroupatUnitedBloodServices-NevadaisateamofRegisteredNursesthathasspecifictraininginTA.UnitedBloodServices-NevadahastheonlynursesinthevalleythatarecertifiedbytheAmericanSocietyforClinicalPathologyas"HemapheresisPractitioners."

WhatareUnitedBloodServices-Nevada’scommunicationsgoalsfortheTherapeuticApheresisprogram?Throughpublicrelationsandoutreachtophysicians,wehopetogainexposureforthecuttingedgemedicaltreatmentavailablehereintheLasVegasValley.We’vebeenapartofthelocalhealthcarecommunityforalmost50yearsandwewanttheeducatethecommunityontheclinicalservicessideofUnitedBloodServices-Nevada,anorganizationtheyalreadyknowandtrust.

To schedule your patient for TA, simply call United Blood Services-Nevada Hospital Services at (702) 228-1111. One of the clinical services 24-hour on-call staff will assist you in scheduling your patient for treatment.

Earlier this year, United Blood Services-Nevada (UBS) retained MassMedia Healthcare Marketing to raise awareness of its work in the community. MassMedia works continuously to secure coverage for the nonprofit organization’s blood drives and local events, but the organization does so much more. UBS also provides clinical services, called Therapeutic Apheresis, at select blood center locations and at hospitals throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

MassMedia Medical Marketing and Media Review sat down with United Blood Services-Nevada’s Mindi Johnson, R.N., B.S., H.P., to learn more about this potentially life-saving treatment.

ByGeorgeannPizzi—@GPizzi

w i th

UnitedBloodServicesNEVADA

Mindi Johnson, R.N., B.S., H.P.


Non-Profit Spotlight

Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada:

Thepioneeringnon-profitorganization,whichJamesonfounded,hasbeenservinguninsuredresidentsofSouthernNevadaformorethantwoyears.Thevolunteer-runmedicalclinicprovidesfreehealthcareandwellnessservicesforworkingfamilieswhodonotqualifyforMedicaidorMedicare.Itsvolunteerstaffofphysicians,nurses,clerksandpharmacistshasbecomethemedicalhometoover2,500patientsandprovidesthemwithprimarycare,pediatrics,women’sservicesandmore.

InLasVegas,roughly500,000peopledonothavehealthinsurance.Traditionally,theseindividualswouldeithergotothecounty’semergencydepartmentsformedicalcareorforegonecessaryhealthcarealtogether.Theorganization’sclinicsgivethesefamiliesaplacetoturn.Tobeseenattheclinic,patientsmustdemonstratethattheyarelegalresidentsofClarkCounty.Also,theymustestablishthattheyareneitherinsurednoreligibleforanygovernment-fundedprogramstoreceivemedicalcare.

Asofthisspring,VMSNisoncoursetoprovide6,000patientvisitswithmedicalcare,anaverageof$155,000infreemedicationsmonthlyand$400,000indiagnosticstestsallofwhichhasbeenmadepossiblethroughthegiftsofvolunteerismandmonetarydonationsfromthecommunity.TopphysiciansfromaroundtheValleycontributetheir

medicalexpertiseatnocostandnationalpharmaceuticalfirmsdonatemedicine.Numerouscommunitypartners,suchasClarkCountyMedicalSocietyAlliance,DignityHealth,QuestDiagnostic,St.RoseDominicanHospitals,WestValleyImaging,helpfundtheorganization’sdailyoperations.

VMSN’sfundamentalgoaltoincreaseaccesstohealthcaredevelopsfurtherin2012,astheorganizationworkstoraisefundsforanexpansionofservicesatitsprojecteddowntownclinic.VMSNcontinuallyseeksfundingopportunities,newvolunteersandphysicianstodonatetheirservicesandtime.

For more information on giving to VMSN at (702) 967-0530, contact Christina Moon or visit the Volunteers in Medicine website at www.vmsn.org.

“There has never been a greater need in Nevada since the Great Depression,” stressed President, CEO and founder of Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada (VMSN),

Dr. Florence Jameson, when expressing the urgent need to provide health care to the impoverished in our community.

Healthcare FORTHEPEOPlE,

Driven BYTHEPEOPlE

fourth Annual Volunteers in Medicine ballSaturday, October 6, 2012 • 6 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. The Venetian/The Palazzo

Contact: Christine Moon, (702) 967-0530 ext. 215, [email protected]

Save the Date

ByGeorgeannPizzi—@GPizzi

2863 St. Rose Pkwy. Henderson, NV 89052

Y o u r N e v a d a - b a s e d H e a l t H C a r e t e a m

MassMedia Healthcare Marketing is a full -service, statewide communications firm devoted to all facets of marketing, advertising and public relations. Headquartered in Las Vegas, our veteran team has decades of collective experience working with the most renowned physicians, practices, and health care professionals in the state. Together we create and deliver memorable integrated marketing campaigns that shape your audience’s perceptions and increase your bottom line.

For more information on our health care team and our capabilities go to www.massmediahealth.com or contact Paula Yakubik at 702.433.4331 or [email protected].

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