HIPAA deadline looms; BC Group moves to new ownership; Resun develops modular health
facility constructor; and more.
Is Your Facility Ready for HIPAA?
Only 30% of payors and 18% of health care providers are compliant with Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) security rule regulations, according to
a recent report. The deadline for compliance with the HIPAA security rule is April 20,
2005.
The low compliance findings come from a survey conducted by the Healthcare Information
Management Systems Society (HIMSS of Chicago) and Phoenix Health Systems (Mont-gomery
Village, Md). Those who responded to the survey reported roadblocks to compliance with
HIPAA. Achieving successful integration with the new system’s policies and procedures
across the enterprise was the primary impediment to those who re-sponded to the winter
2005 survey. Other delays included interpretation of HIPAA regulations, as well as budget
and time restraints.
The security rule requires that health care providers implement administrative,
physical, and technical safeguards to protect electronically transmitted medical data.
This mandate includes patient-identifying information, such as name, medical record,
identification number, or picture.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS of Baltimore)—the
organization behind HIPAA—while the numbers of noncompliant facilities could seem
worrisome days before the act goes into effect, the level of compliance, overall, has been
efficiently high. For more information on what HIPAA means for your facility, visit www.hipaa.org.
Resun Develops Modular Health Facility Constructor
When developing a new health care facility, project planners have to be aware of stringent
standards for waste disposal and air quality, the need to respond to the rapid development
of new technology, obligations to meet client needs quickly, and budget pressures. To
simplify the planning process, Charles Paquin, president of Resun Corp (Dulles, Va),
recently formed MedBuild, a division of Resun that will provide health care space
solutions.
Resun provides engineered solutions for temporary and permanent modular space. MedBuild
will focus exclusively on providing high-end, turnkey modular facilities to the health
care industry and offering cost-efficient space solutions for bio-safety labs and other
specialized health care needs.
BC Group Acquires New
Owner
BC Group International Inc (St Louis) has been acquired by Dytec Corp, a Lloyd
Industries company based in St Louis. Since 1988, the company has been supplying the
biomedical market with test and measurement equipment for technical services.  Bill Collier
In 2001, BC Group forged a relationship with Lloyd Industries
to manufacture products under the BC Biomedical brand name. Lloyd Industries designs and
manufactures custom and standard electronic products for dozens of industries.
In addition to new corporate leadership, BC Group also has
experienced an internal managerial change. After serving 17 years as the company’s
president, Bill Collier has decided to leave the company and has been replaced by Mel
Roche, the current president of Lloyd Industries.
For Collier, who has worked in the biomedical industry for
nearly 30 years and been a long-time 24x7 Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) member, the
acquisition of BC Group is bittersweet.
 I’m very pleased with the
negotiation,” says Collier, who will step down from the 24x7 EAB in July. “Mel
[Roche] and I have the same appreciation for the industry, and there has been a lot of
great synergy between Lloyd Industries and BC. However, I’ve been in the industry a
long time; I’ve developed some great relationships with my peers, and it’s going
to be hard to walk away. I’m very optimistic about the future of BC. It’s
definitely onward and upward from here.”
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Upcoming Events in May
Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation
Annual Conference and Exposition
May 14–17 • Tampa, Fla • www.aami.org
Highlights: More than 100 exhibitors and more than 50
practical educational sessions, including a 2-day BMET evaluation and review course.
DITEC 2K5
National Continuing Education Conference & Vendor Exhibits
May 25–27 • Cleveland • www.ditecnet.com
Highlights: Keynote address on “PACS Presents New
Opportunities” by Stuart Gardner, president, SG&A Consulting Inc (Arlington,
Tex); 39 educational seminars.
CR Software Inc
Users’ Conference
May 11–13 • Fairfax, Va • www.crsoftwareinc.com
Highlights: Record attendance anticipated. 24x7
Resources
