Medicine seems to be coming full-circle. It

wasn’t too long ago that when you needed

a check-up, a doctor would show up to your

front door with a black satchel full of

remedies and elixirs “proven” to stave off

the illness that was afflicting you. Those

days gave way to office visits where one

would have to stand in a waiting room—

for what seemed like forever—in order to

be shuffled into a tiny room stocked with

gadgets, pumps and prodding devices.

Telemedicine, the newest form of personal

medical care, seems to be coming back

around to those days when doctors would

show up at your doorstep. Except, instead

of a doorstep, that physician is showing up

inside of your computer screen. Yet, there

are legal implications included in this new

P1 / Medicine

What are the legal implications of telemedicine?

P2 / Cyber-Risk

3 Things to know when a data breach occurs.

P3 / Engineering

Engineers are saving lives.P4 / Plig-Bits

The 2014 PLIG Puzzle Challenge and Trivia!

Telemedicine, the newest form of personal medical care, seems to be coming back around to those days when doctors would show up at your doorstep. Except, instead of a doorstep, that physician is showing up inside of your computer screen.

“”

The Legal Implications of Telemedicine

In a few years, your next check-up might be in the form of a video screen.

>> CONT. PAGE TWO

March-April 2014

PLIG PulseTHE

When you begin to recieve malicious error messages, chances are something is invading your database. Your first inclination is to shut down the computer/database/mainframe. DON’T! Shutting down your network could result in the loss of valuable data not only to your business, but also to the investigators who could lose important bread crumbs that can lead back to the culprit in question.

Initial responders to your data breach may spend the first few days just interviewing and investigating everyone on your IT team as well as anyone connected to your network security personnel. Large amounts of data from routers and firewalls will have to be thoroughly vetted. In fact, it could be up to a week before a picture of your data breach emerges. Take a deep breath and let the pros do their job.

Being pro-active can help deduce the costs of remediation. Make sure you look into a good cyber security insurance policy. A great insurance plan can cover liability for any breach or loss of data, plus help cover the costs of things like forensic investigation, customer notification and credit monitoring, public relations services. Plans can even cover costs to help settle any penalties or fines that may stem from the data breach.

Legality &Telemedicine

D o n ’ t P o w e r D o w n !

H a v e P a t i e n c e

B e P r o - A c t i v e

3 Things to Know When a Data Breach Occurs

form for medical care. Telemedicine, in its broadest

definition, is the medical care of a patient without the

consulting physician being there in a physical presence.

In some states, that includes phone consultations, in

others, the definition includes consultations through

online services such as Skype. Time zones are another

factor that play into this new form of medical care.

Physicians are licensed by state, and their practice is

governed by the state in which they practice as well as

the state in which the patient is located. For instance, if

a physician in New Hampshire wants to provide

assistance to a patient in New York, the physician must

be licensed in both New Hampshire and New York.

Some states have found a way around this though, as

the physician can apply for a “limited telemedicine

license”, however, this caveat is not available in all

states. In other states, it is possible for an out-of-state

physician to consult with an in-state physician as a

consultant, in which case the out-of-state physician will

be able to provide recommendations in the case of their

shared patient.

There seems to be solutions on the horizon, though,

as telemedicine becomes more apparent. In order to

comply with state licensing restrictions, telemedicine

companies have created an 800 number that links to a

network of physicians across state lines. In addition,

the prescriptive authority of physicians inside of the

network is limited to refilling only antibiotic

medicines in order to comply with state and national

laws that prohibits the prescribing of drugs over the

Internet. Another strategy—seemingly a way to make

telemedicine a viable option for those who do not have

direct access to a physician—is to have the ability to

contact a physician who can offer a limited amount of

diagnosis and treatment, followed by the patient in

question using the information to seek out a doctor

who can proceed to administer the proper medications.

Whichever way the legal implications of telemedicine

pursue—and there are many stipulations that need to

be ironed out before the philosophy of the practice can

be administered in its full scheme—there seems to be a

groundswell mounting as technology and medicine are

headed towards a collision course that could mean

better and more efficient healthcare for us all.

Several reports are relaying the fact that

one in three Americans have tried to

diagnose their medical conditions using the

online information database, Wikipedia.

But, it’s not only general users flocking

to the site for their prognosis. The IMS

Institute for Healthcare Informatics reports

that 50% of physicians use the website for

healthcare information as well. But, being

that Wikipedia is a crowd-sourced venture,

the validity of the infomation written on

there needs to be severly questioned.

Since doctors are aware of this, they have

formed an effort called the Wikiproject

Medicine task force. There are 5 top

conditions that are searched on the site:

tuberculosis, Crohn’s disease,

pneumonia, multiple sclerosis, and

diabetes. Dr. James Heilman, the founder

of Wikiproject Medicine says, “The aim

is to improve the quality of the most read

medical articles on Wikipedia and ensure

that this quality will reach non-english

speakers.”

Are Doctors UsingWikipedia?

>> CONT. FROM PAGE ONE

>> CONT. PAGE SIX

HOSPITAL ORDERED TO PAY OVER $4 MILLION

A Los Angeles Supreme Court judge tentatively approved a settlement on March 19th for the sum of $4.1 million in the Stanford Hospital & Clinics medical information breach case. Back in 2010, the hospital allegedly posted the medical information of more than 20,000 ER patients on their website, and let the information stay there for more than a year. The Confidentiality of Medical Information Act states that healthcare providers may not disclose patient information without written consent.

ARCHITECT USES INSTAGRAM TO AVOID TAX

A Philadelphia architect, who bounces between New York and Philly, is taking a time-stamped photo everyday he is in his hometown in order to avoid paying taxes twice.The IRS told Andrew Jarvis that he would have to pay income taxes for NY and PA. But, in order to provide evidence, he opened an Instagram account to show he spends 51% of his time in PA. You can check out his Instagram account @internalrevenueselfies.

THE FUTURE OF CAPTURING EHRs

California-based company Augmedix has created software for the Google Glass eyewear that can capture a patient’s EHR data while interacting with them. The company claims that a doctor spends more than 30% of their time interacting with a computer interface instead of talking to their patients. Augmedix boasts that it cuts that time down to 1%. For more information go to www.augmedix.com.

Often—perhaps almost always—

when you think of the ability to change the

way healthcare technologies are developed, you

ascribe that ability to a physician of some sort.

But, in Ghana, Africa, something new has arisen

that is helping to save the lives of mothers and

children affected by complications due to

childbirth…and it’s all due to a few engineers.

Worldwide, an estimated 500,000 women die due

to complications with childbirth, and at least 4

million infants pass away before

reaching four weeks of age every year. That

statistic struck Tiffany Chen and Gillian Heckler,

who are both engineers working with the

University of Michigan, as “unfair”.

Through their work with the University, Chen

and Heckler were able to spend one month in

Ghana studying their clinical techniques. They

discovered that through the use of better design

they could perhaps improve upon the efficacy of

the nation’s healthcare technologies. The Komfo

Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumsai, Ghana

has worked with the University of Michigan for

over 25 years, but even so, they faced a problem

that they had no answer for: their equipment was

breaking down.

DIIME (Design Innovations for Infants and

Mothers Everywhere)—the organization founded

by Chen and Heckler—estimates that 96 percent

of donated medical equipment breaks down and

loses its value within five years time. In fact, a

section of the hospital called “The Graveyard”

houses all of the broken and inefficient medical

technology that can no longer be used.

Engineers have not always been the “go-to”

profession when it comes to helping develop

new healthcare technology. The University of

Michigan actually used to only send medical

Engineers can do more than build things. They can save lives.

The PLIG NewsBriefTechnology is

Innovating Medicine

VISIT US AT

WWW.PLIGofSJ.COM

CALL US @ 856-692-7702

The 2014 PLIG PuzzleChallenge!

Happy Birthday To Our PLIG Team Members!

Two of our most beloved PLIG team members are celebrating their birthdays! Happy Birthday to Tabitha Hurban (March 8) and Maria Romer (March 13)! May all your dreams and wishes come true and may you live long and prosperous lives.

PLIG-BITS

Across1. Government online healthcare store2. Group of lawyers working together3. Matlock’s profession

Down1. Judge’s hammer2. Urgent medical care3. Kind of damage that spreads4. Agreement between 2 or more people5. Tool draws perfect circles

At The Professional Liability Insurance Group, we know just how bright and intelligent our clients are, which is why we are rolling out a brand new challenge for the new year! All you have to do is answer the crossword challenge correctly and email your answers to Trivia@pligofsj.com, Fax them to 856-691-0059 or Call 856-692-7702 with your answers. The winner will be selected from a random drawing of all correct responses submitted prior to printing our next newsletter and will win a $20 Wawa Gift Card! Good Luck!

Not-So-Trivial Pursuit

CATURDAY!Test how much you know about our favorite feline friends with this month’s trivia question. The winner will be selected from a random drawing of all correct responses submitted prior to printing our next newsletter and will win a $20 Wawa Gift Card! FAX [856-691-0059], CALL [856-692-7702], OR EMAIL YOUR ANSWER TO Trivia@pligofsj.com. Good Luck!

Q: Exactly how many muscles are located within just one cat’s ear?

Quote of the Month: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Earn Continuing Education Credits With PLIG!

Did you know: The Professional Liability Insurance Group regularly holds and sponsors continuing education seminars for professions of all types. Need more info? Call PLIG today at 856-692-7702 to find out the dates and details of our next seminar

What you win:1. For each referral we will automatically send you a $10 Wawa Gift Card!

2. Each referral automatically enters you in the quarterly drawing for a $50 Visa Gift Card!

3. Each referral also enters you in the yearly drawing for your choice of an IPAD MINI or an AMAZON KINDLE FIRE HD

4. For each referral we recieve we will donate $20 to a charity*of your choosing.

*Charity must be a registered 501 (c)

The PLIG Referral contest

How it works:All you have to do is tell a friend, a colleague or any professional you know and make sure they tell us you sent them...that’s it! Remember, protecting professionals is our specialty! You can refer an accountant, a lawyer, a physician, an architect, an engineer …

Remember, without your referrals and much appreciated testimonials, we would not be where we are today. Your words

encourage us to do our best and help other professionals decide to do business with us. You can call

856-692-7702, fax to 856-691-0059, or email to info@pligofsj.com your referrals and testimonials. And, as always, we want to say “Thank you!” for the professional

relationship we have with each of you!

JUST KEEP TALK-

• You don’t have to be a client to receive your free Wawa gift card.

• There is absolutely no limit on how many times you can enter.

• Our contest is not in direct relation to any insurance sales. You’ll be rewarded simply for the lead.

• You do not have to be present at the drawings to win.

• Your referrals do not have to become our client for you to claim your prize.

• We are not responsible if the law says you can’t win due to age or any other restriction.

Scan this QR Code with your smartphone

CONTACT US

1138 E. Chestnut Ave., 5A, Vineland, NJ 08360

PLIG123 @PLIG123

Call Us: 856-692-7702Visit us at:

www.PLIGofSJ.com

Look for us on Facebook and

Twitter!

Rate Us!Getting ratings and reviews from cherished clients such

as yourself serve us two-fold: they give us

important feedback and tell us what we’re doing right

and what we might need to change in the future, and

they show potential clients exactly what kind of service

they can expect from us.

To leave a review of our services go to:

Scan this QR code with your smartphone!

students to Ghana, that is until Chen and Heckler

arrived. The two students admit that their

presence was questioned when they first arrived,

but once they began to talk to clinicians and

maintenance staff, it was clear that they could do

something about the broken down medical

equipment.

Chen and Heckler’s first product was Hemafuse,

a low-tech device that provides a safer way to

manage autologous blood transfusions. The

device was actually just a spray-painted and super

glued prototype, but the clinicians in Ghana were

amazed with what the engineers could do.

With Hemafuse, DIIME was born, and so was the

notion that physicians are not exclusive at

helping create healthcare solutions that could

potentially affect millions. While DIIME has

plenty of upcoming projects that could save even

more lives, it goes without saying that the

engineering community now has another avenue

through which to apply their talents.

Engineers Innovating Medicine

>> CONT. FROM PAGE THREE