INSURICA Healthcare Times
Keeping you ahead of the risks and challenges unique to your industry.
Winter 2023
“February is American Heart Month, a time when you can check in on your cardiovascular health.
While heart disease can be deadly for adults, it’s also preventable in most people. Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for every 1 out of 5 deaths.
Cardiovascular disease and the conditions that lead to it can happen at any age. Some types of heart disease include arrhythmia, heart failure, heart attack and stroke.
FEATURED ARTICLE
Staying Healthy in Winter
The winter months are notorious for bringing sickness. Flu season begins in October and ramps up into January. Colds are also more common during the winter months. Read on for tips on keeping yourself and your family healthy this winter.
FEATURED ARTICLE
Snow and Ice Removal Tips
Owners and managers of commercial property have an obligation to maintain safe conditions for employees and occupants. During the winter season, walkways, stairs, driveways, interior roadways and parking lots become slip and trip hazards as snow falls and ice forms. This is not only a safety hazard, it can also be an expensive legal issue for property owners, if an accident occurs.
FEATURED ARTICLE
Working Safely with Sharps
The OSHA standard for blood-borne pathogens requires that any employee exposed to blood, or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM), follow proper safety precautions when working with needles and other possible contaminated sharps as part of their job duty.
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New Year, New Goals: The Benefits of a Safe Patient Handling Program
Because of age or incapacitation due to illness or injury, patients in health care settings often need help performing normal daily tasks like sitting up or walking. Helping patients with these tasks requires significant physical demands, putting employees in danger of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
Change Healthcare Cyberattack Causes Disruptions
On Feb. 21, 2024, Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (UHG) and one of the largest platforms for managing health insurance billing and payments in the United States, experienced a large-scale cyberattack. This attack forced the company to shut down over 100 services across its system for multiple weeks, affecting millions of health care providers and patients across the country.
Preventing Violence in the Healthcare Workplace
Workplace violence in the healthcare industry has been declining, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely absent from hospitals and other medical clinics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost half of non-fatal injuries from occupational assaults and violence occur in healthcare and social services settings.