Expert Compliance Insights & Tips for Businesses

February 11, 2011
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HHS Sends Disclosure Rule to OMB for Review, Expands Patients' Rights

EHR HIPAA HITECH PHI
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), despite a health industry outcry, has forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a proposed rule allowing patients to request information about the disclosure of their protected health information (PHI). An OMB review can take anywhere from one to 90 days to complete. After that, the rule generally takes effect in 30 to 60 days. The...
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February 9, 2011
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NLRB Settlement Seems to Protect Employee Comments Online

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The courts have yet to weigh in, but a recent settlement between the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and a Connecticut ambulance company may mean more freedom of speech—or at least retaliatory protection—for employees who post comments about their companies online. The incident has several angles to it, only one of which relates to the Internet, which the plaintiff claimed led...
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February 7, 2011
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CHIPRA Health Program Marks Two-Year Anniversary

CHIP CHIPRA Medicaid
On Super Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) marked its two-year anniversary, having been signed into law on the same day in 2009 by President Obama. To mark the moment, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sibelius noted that since CHIPRA's signing, more than 42 million children had been entered into CHIPRA state plan...
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February 5, 2011
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Chipotle Fined After I-9 Audit in Minnesota

I-9 ICE
Denver-based Chipolte Mexican Grill was forced to terminate hundreds from its 50 Minnesota locations after an I-9 audit turned up a large number of undocumented workers. The total Chipolte workforce in the state before the audit stood at 1,200. Co-CEO Monty Moran said: "We are surprised at what’s happened here because we are very careful about who[m] we hire, and we try to hire the v...
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February 4, 2011
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OSHA Reinforces Guidance on Fall Protection in Residential Construction

slips trips and falls
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued new guidance on fall protection in residential construction. Slips, trips and falls have long been the number-one hazard at work sites in general, but on this occasion OSHA is singling out residential construction for renewed emphasis. The new policy requires employers engaged in residential construction to comply with 29 CFR p...
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February 1, 2011
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OSHA Aims to Reduce MSDs Through an Emphasis on Ergonomics

General Duty Clause OSHA ergonomics standard OSHA Injury and Illness Program
While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is busy readying a new Injury and Illness Program standard, dubbed I2P2 and set to be launched in June, administrator David Michaels has made it clear that he hopes to focus on ergonomic issues as well. Though OSHA's previous ergonomics standard was killed by the Bush administration, Michaels and OSHA this time around aren't...
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February 1, 2011
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Congress Targets I2P2 & Noise Regulations

Darrell Issa EPA OSHA
Some of the fallout from the November elections that turned the House of Representatives over to the Republicans is that life can get tougher for regulators, though few doubt it will stop them. In particular, Rep. Darrell Issa (R.-Calif.), new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, with input from surveys he took of trade associations, is targeting a proposed regulatio...
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February 1, 2011
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IRS Releases Final Regulations on Hybrid Pension Plans

hybrid pension plans IRS
Four years after Congress passed the Pension Protection Act of 2006, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released final regulations on hybrid pension plans, which combine defined benefits (payout at retirement) with 401(k)-style defined contributions. According to consulting firm Towers Watson, nearly one-quarter of Fortune 100 companies offer hybrid plans, and it is estimated that nearly on...
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January 31, 2011
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OSHA 300A Summary Must Be Posted by Feb. 2

Employers each year must post their OSHA Form 300A Summary each year by Feb. 2 and keep it posted in a conspicuous location through April 30. The Summary lists the numerical results of the much more detailed Form 300 Log of workplace injuries and illnesses. The Personnel Concepts Space Saver-2 OSHA Safety Poster includes a panel for the Form 300A Summary (or its state equivalent), which can be ...
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January 28, 2011
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HHS Grants 500 More Health Care Reform Waivers

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has granted Affordable Care Act (ACA) waivers to 500 more entities, most of which are offering so-called mini-med plans with limited health care coverage, to tide them over until the state-run health insurance exchanges kick in starting in 2014. The 500 new waivers are in addition to 222 earlier waivers, bringing the total number of individuals ...
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