By Susan Walberg, JD MPA CHC

Healthcare apps have become increasingly prevalent, with people using them for counting steps, monitoring their calories, or linking to various medical devices, to name just a few examples. Since the COVID outbreak, however, and the explosion of telehealth as a healthcare option, these apps have proliferated at an insane rate. As of 2020, there were 325,000 healthcare apps on the market, with more coming all the time.

Along with hurricanes, Florida is famous for its swamps. And it’s not just the Everglades (which I’ve learned is, in actuality, a very large river), they are all over. Here in Central Florida, people are as likely to have an airboat as they are a speedboat sitting in their backyard or hitched to their pickup truck. Why is Florida so swampy?

According to the Statement, the Health Breach Notification Rule ‘Helps to ensure that entities who are not covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) nevertheless face accountability when consumers’ sensitive health information is compromised.” The Breach Notification Rule is not new, but this clarification is, and signals likely enforcement of a rule that has largely gone unenforced to date. The push to regulate apps came from Congress, and further legislation is likely.

Pet owners who are shopping for a new home should do so with their pet’s needs in mind, from the very start. And because moving can be upsetting for some pets, it’s also important to prepare them for the move in advance, too. It’s also essential to prioritize your pet’s well-being and safety during the moving process. Here are some basic guidelines you can keep in mind to ensure that your move is as stress-free as possible - for both you and your pet.

Since the COVID outbreak and the explosion of telehealth as a healthcare option, these apps have proliferated at an insane rate. As of 2020, there were 325,000 healthcare apps on the market, with more coming all the time.

Whether you are a consumer who uses such apps, or a provider who wants to develop an app for patients to use, it’s important to understand some of the privacy and security risks that may accompany the use of such tools, and what to watch out for.

Although HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) has been around for a long time, the COVID epidemic has spawned a slew of misunderstandings, disinformation, and erroneous claims about the law’s reach and impact.

Telehealth or ‘virtual’ visits have increased over 11,000% when the pandemic-related changes by CMS were implemented, according to Medicare data for March/April of 2020. Previous reviews of telehealth services by the OIG revealed a 31% error rate, and this was well before such services became easier to provide. Given those high numbers, it isn’t surprising this is a high-risk issue.

Unfortunately, loosening the regulatory requirements opened the door to fraud by dishonest providers, telemedicine companies, and others.

Florida Man was unknown to me until I moved to the Sunshine State. And I have to admit, I was missing out on an entertaining piece of Florida culture. So who is Florida Man?

Florida Man was a meme, began in 2013, and is a catch-all for all the wacky news stories perpetrated by, you got it, Florida Man.

The issue that has taken over our lives in 2020 is undoubtedly the COVID-19 virus. I think it’s safe to say that it has impacted all of us, although to varying degrees, depending on our careers, family, and location. Florida has received an inordinate amount of attention, both positive and negative, regarding Governor Desantis’ handling of the virus response. This post is my personal perspective on what is happening in Florida and life here in the ‘Year of COVID’.

When people think about Florida, the most common concerns are alligators and hurricanes. I am ending my second hurricane season in Florida and, so far, we’ve had two potential hits but none have happened to us. I did some research, however, and learned some interesting facts about the hurricanes in Florida.

I’ve done two massive moves, across many state lines, and have learned some valuable lessons in organizing and time frames. Here are several categories of issues to keep in mind.

Although I live in Palm Bay, Melbourne is our neighbor just to the north and is the ‘real’ city where people often go for shopping, restaurants on the water, and nightlife. Palm Bay is very much still growing, and doesn’t have the historic district and nice shopping district that Melbourne has. We still have entire neighborhoods being developed, and they just opened a new freeway on and off ramp. So it’s definitely on the move, but Melbourne is more of a ‘hub’, locally.

When you pick up and move to a new part of the country (or a new part of the world, even more so!) a huge piece of the adjustment is the different lifestyle and local culture. Even how people refer to common things is different, and it takes some getting used to in most cases.

Moving into a home that is a bit off the grid gave me a pretty steep learning curve and some adjustments. I didn’t know how much I had to learn!

When contemplating a move to Florida, we all pretty much think of gators being the exotic and (perhaps) scary life form. Well, I haven’t seen a gator yet, except at the Bass Pro Shop here in Palm Bay. They have a gator moat outside! But I am continuing to learn about the critters here.

By Susan Walberg, JD MPA CHC

As Private Equity companies and healthcare organizations move to grow or consolidate practices and organizations, one area of due diligence that is often overlooked is the evaluation of the compliance program and the compliance risks that are the natural result of a deficient program.

Math becomes important when you realize that all you are doing is working to pay bills, and you worry that at some point you may not have enough money. Especially if you work for yourself and have no ‘guaranteed’ income.

When I decided to make the move to Florida, I lived in this gorgeous, 4,000 foot, 3 story Victorian home in Maryland. Plus an attic, a cellar, a big shed and detached garage, on a half acre. Picture that, full of several generations of antiques, collectibles, and everything a family gathers over the years. My mom brought her mom’s estate when she moved to Maryland and moved in with me. So the idea of moving was no simple decision or spur of the moment whim. It was a very big deal, especially since I knew the house itself would need a lot of attention to be ready to sell, even though in general it was in great shape.

First, before we got to the roadtrip, we had to deal with movers. Let me just say how awful this experience was. Even with all our downsizing, we had a ton of stuff. Movers want an inventory in advance so they can price it, or at least many of them do. When you have entire rooms, floor to ceiling, where you are storing tubs and boxes, this wasn’t easy.

As we waited in our Palm Bay hotel for the closing date on our new home, the news started warning about Hurricane Dorian, headed straight for us! We were several days out from getting the keys to the new house and Dorian was all that we heard on the news. Storm warnings, evacuation warnings, people flocking to the Walmart and Home Depot to get ready.