By Manolito Jones

In the ever-growing technology associated with hospitals and healthcare, no healthcare organization does it alone. More and more healthcare entities are enlisting the help of third parties to gain efficiencies and reduce their operating costs. Although outsourcing services can provide significant benefits, it can also introduce significant risks if information and data are not properly governed. In healthcare, it is more than money at risk; there is also protected health information (PHI).  

Data breaches involving third parties that result in exposure or loss of PHI are on the rise. In fact, four of the top 10 breaches in the last few years have involved business associates. A recent example is the bill collection service provider, American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA). The breach potentially exposed the data of 20 million patients of Quest Diagnostics Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, and OPKO Health, Inc.   

The AMCA breach highlights the importance of third-party risk management when sharing patient information with external parties. It also reinforces the importance of risk management and due diligence. While outsourcing can provide many benefits, it can also make an organization more vulnerable if a third party isn’t taking the appropriate steps to protect PHI. 

By Evan Osborne, MPH, RT(T)

Communities are facing a crisis in healthcare. Patients are choosing to feed their families over purchasing essential prescriptions for chronic diseases. Due to a lack of transportation, vulnerable and underprivileged demographics are purchasing cheap, unhealthy non-perishables at convenience stores rather than health-conscious options at grocers just a few miles away. Non-English-speaking patients are being discharged from hospitals only to return because they did not understand the post-discharge instructions. These are just a few challenges faced daily in communities suffering from low health equity.

In 2014, evidence-based research ranked the U.S. as last overall in comparison to 11 industrialized nations measured in quality, efficiency, access to care, equity and healthy living (Mahon, 2014). In September 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Office of Minority Health released their equity plan for improving quality in Medicare. The mission of this plan strategized the benefits of advancing health equity by improving quality of care within minority and other underserved Medicare beneficiaries (CMS.gov, 2015). This proposal was catalyzed by the Affordable Care Act, Healthy People 2020 and other leading federal agencies driving nationwide health initiatives. Furthermore, Medicare spending grew 4.2% to $705.9 billion in 2018 (CMS.gov, 2019). This historical data coincides with other trends highlighting the use of excess funds and care being directed towards disparities within specific populations and demographics. Influenced by modern healthcare’s transition from fee-for-service to value-based purchasing reimbursement models, the risk in caring for populations suffering from health disparities has grown exponentially.