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As health care moves home, primary care physicians are stepping in to ensure care stays personal and effective.

Where primary care fits in the shift toward home care

When possible, patients prefer to recover in their own beds instead of hospital beds, according to a new survey. National health care policy needs to catch up to patient need.

With Hospital at Home waiver set to expire, patients overwhelmingly support home care

How technology providers, researchers, administrators, and facilitators view the possibilities.

Examining hospital-at-home from a myriad of perspectives

You’re wrapping up a consultation, and just as you head toward the door, your patient says, “Hey Doc, can I get your number — just in case?”

You might think this doesn’t happen very often, but an 

 found that 41% of patients report having their physician’s phone number, and 75% say they’ve used it.

Whether you give your number to patients because they asked for it or they saved it after receiving a call from you, it’s better that they don’t have it. While the intention is to help 

Privacy is a consideration, of course, but the ramifications of a patient not getting the immediate attention they need are less obvious and more concerning.

: It’s my daughter’s winter dance recital, and I’m on stage with her for a father-daughter pas de deux. One of my patients calls and leaves a message about a sudden worsening of their chronic condition. However, my phone is set to “do not disturb,” so it could be hours before I see the message. Without office staff performing triage on the symptoms, the patient could be in serious trouble. Even if the patient eventually gets to the emergency room for medical intervention, the delay could have life-threatening ramifications.

You can prevent scenarios like these by not giving out your number. Using 

 integrated into your prescribing workflow that displays your office name and phone number makes the call more easily identifiable and more likely to be answered, as well as keeping your number private.

Physicians who began using an in-app dialer reported back on some of the benefits:

 number bypass your office staff, who are trained to triage calls. Besides being wildly inefficient, they can delay care in urgent situations. Calls to your office, even after hours, can trigger instructions on what to do in an emergency, such as directing patients to an on-call physician or the emergency room based on the severity of the issue.

 When the phone rings and it’s an unknown number, what happens? Most people ignore it, and many phones send unidentified calls straight to voicemail. Patients may miss your call because they don’t recognize the number, and you might not answer theirs for the same reason. But when patients see the call is coming from their doctor’s office, they almost always answer. Calling patients with technology that displays your office number helps avoid missed calls and the back-and-forth of phone tag, meaning less delay in delivering care.

 It’s OK to keep your number private and guard your personal time. 

 is very real, and being on call 24/7 takes a toll. Like flight attendants remind us during every takeoff, you need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. In the same way, physicians need to take care of themselves to provide the best care for their patients.
Physician burnout 

costs the U.S. health care industry billions annually

 in lost productivity, turnover and reduced quality of care, according to numerous studies. Additionally, burnout doesn’t just impact the physician — it affects the practice as a whole, from staff morale to 

While giving patients your personal phone number might be a well-meaning gesture, it’s better for both you and them to avoid it. Using a dialer that shows your office number isn’t about “hiding your number” — it’s about making sure you successfully connect with your patients and ensuring that they get the care they need when they need it.

Colin Banas, MD, MHA, is the chief medical officer at DrFirst. He is an internal medicine hospitalist and former chief medical information officer for VCU Health System in Richmond, Virginia. The company’s suite of offerings includes iPrescribe by DrFirst, a mobile electronic prescribing application that allows health care providers to write and renew prescriptions for both controlled and noncontrolled substances directly from their smartphones. Learn more at 

Physicians often face requests from patients for personal phone numbers, but sharing them can lead to privacy issues and delayed care. Using technology that displays the office number instead of personal numbers can prevent these issues. This approach ensures calls are answered promptly, maintains professional boundaries, and helps prevent physician burnout. By integrating such technology into the prescribing workflow, physicians can improve patient communication and care delivery. Protecting personal time and maintaining efficient communication channels are crucial for both patient safety and physician well-being.

Prioritizing physician well-being while keeping patient care top of mind.

Topics

Why sharing your personal number with patients isn’t a great idea and what to do instead

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is required by law to perform periodic audits of covered entities and business associates to ensure their compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule requirements. These periodic audits are known as HIPAA audits.

 against health care organizations have cast doubts on the effectiveness of OCR’s HIPAA audit program in ensuring the protection of electronic protected health information (ePHI): Between 2018 and 2023, 

 breaches affecting more than 500 records increased by 102%, with the number of 

Reacting to concerns about the sufficiency of OCR’s enforcement, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently evaluated the effectiveness of OCR’s HIPAA audit program.

, issued in November 2024, found that OCR’s oversight of its HIPAA audit program is 

 effective at improving cybersecurity protections of covered entities and business associates — no surprise, given that OCR has not even conducted a HIPAA audit since 2017. OIG recommended a series of steps that OCR should take to enhance its HIPAA audit program, highlighting the urgency of strengthening cybersecurity measures in the health care industry. Covered entities and business associates should be aware of these recommendations, as OCR’s implementation of the changes may cause a shift in the regulatory environment for HIPAA compliance.

For more information, the full report published by OIG (A-18-21-08014) is available 

, and a summary of key points from the report is available 

OIG found that although OCR technically fulfilled its requirement under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act to perform periodic HIPAA audits, the audit implementation was deficient. Specifically, OCR’s audits assessed only eight of the 180 HIPAA Rules requirements, and only two of those eight were related to Security Rule administrative safeguards — and none were related to physical and technical security safeguards such as encryption, access controls, network security measures and ransomware protections. OIG said that the narrow scope of OCR’s HIPAA audits meant they most likely did not identify entities, such as hospitals, that did not implement the physical and technical safeguards defined in the Security Rule to protect ePHI against common cybersecurity threats.

Additionally, OIG observed that OCR did not require audited entities to respond to deficiencies by implementing corrective actions and confirming implementation, nor did OCR monitor HIPAA audit program outcomes. Further, OCR failed to define criteria for initiating compliance reviews for organizations with serious compliance issues, limiting OCR’s ability to enforce meaningful change.

Finally, OIG notes that OCR has not established metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of its audits or monitor whether its audits lead to improved cybersecurity protections for ePHI. As a result, OCR lacks assurance that its audits are achieving their intended goals of cybersecurity, reducing risks and vulnerabilities.

In line with its findings, OIG recommends four key changes for improving OCR’s HIPAA audit program, as follows:

OCR should expand the scope of its HIPAA audits and assess compliance with physical and technical safeguards under the Security Rule, in addition to administrative safeguards. These safeguards include critical protections such as encryption, access controls, network security measures and ransomware protections.

OCR should document and enforce standards for correcting deficiencies identified during its audits and ensure timely implementation of these corrections.

OCR should establish clear criteria for initiating compliance reviews when audits reveal serious compliance issues.

OCR should define metrics to evaluate whether its audits are improving cybersecurity protections with respect to audited organizations. These metrics should be periodically reviewed and refined.

Although OCR agreed with three of the four recommendations, it noted that limited funding and staffing resources remain significant obstacles to expanding its audit program. OCR also stated that the HIPAA audits are designed to be voluntary and intended to provide technical assistance rather than enforce corrections — and OCR expressed concerns that mandatory corrective actions could deter entities from participating in HIPAA audits.

The upcoming change in administration may further impact OCR’s ability and willingness to implement OIG’s recommended changes.

As data breaches, ransomware attacks and other similar incidents continue to rise, OIG’s report serves as a critical reminder of the importance of rigorous ePHI protections. Inadequate cybersecurity measures not only expose health care organizations to regulatory penalties but also jeopardize patient trust and safety. An OIG’s report outlining the myriad deficiencies of OCR’s HIPAA audit program may motivate OCR to engage in increased enforcement activity in all aspects of HIPAA compliance.

Covered entities and business associates should take proactive steps to address potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and strengthen HIPAA compliance and ePHI protections. Some key considerations include the following:

Implement and maintain robust physical and technical measures, including data encryption, multifactor authentication, intrusion detection systems and network security measures.

Regularly audit risks to ePHI across all areas, including administrative, physical and technical safeguards under the Security Rule, and ensure that such audits address cybersecurity vulnerabilities, such as outdated software, insufficient encryption, and/or weak access controls or network security. OCR’s comprehensive audit 

, last updated in July 2018, may be a helpful starting point, although updates to the protocol may be necessary to account for the several changes and developments in the interim.

Establish (or review and update) their internal protocols in response to OIG’s recommendations and, further, promptly address any deficiencies identified during any audits, and maintain detailed documentation of remediation efforts, such as an incident response plan and corrective action plans, to demonstrate compliance should OCR initiate its own audit, investigation or review, and should leverage their audit findings to enhance their internal protocols. These protocols should include procedures for notifying affected individuals and reporting breaches to OCR in compliance with the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule. Employees and staff should be educated on these internal protocols, and providers would be wise to conduct regular training sessions on identifying and mitigating cybersecurity threats, such as phishing attacks.

Monitor updates to OCR’s audit program and enforcement priorities, including the potential expansions of its audit scope to cover additional HIPAA provisions as recommended by OIG, and anticipate heightened scrutiny of cybersecurity practices in light of rising threats.

By taking these steps, covered entities and business associates can strengthen their defenses against cybersecurity threats, ensure compliance with HIPAA requirements and protect the sensitive health information of the patients they serve.

, is a partner in the Greensboro, North Carolina, office of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP. She advises companies and individuals on regulatory compliance in the health care, medical and dental device, and pharmaceutical industries.

, an associate in Brooks Pierce’s Greensboro, North Carolina, office, represents clients in a variety of general business matters. He is also an experienced adviser to health care providers in general, transactional, administrative and regulatory compliance areas.

HHS-OIG’s recommended changes to the audit program aim to strengthen data protections.

How health care providers can stay compliant with HIPAA audit changes

Where will you go to learn more about medicine and the business of health care in 2025?

There are plenty of options all over the country, starting next week. Here’s a slideshow featuring a sampling of medical- and business-related conferences for the rest of this year.

Links to the event websites are in the text below each slide.

(If you have an idea about a gathering for medical professionals but it hasn’t been arranged yet, check out the 

event planning and management services offered by MJH Life Sciences

The landscape of medical and healthcare business education in 2025 offers numerous opportunities for professionals to expand their knowledge. Various conferences across the country provide platforms for learning and networking, with events scheduled throughout the year. These gatherings cater to both medical and business aspects of healthcare, offering insights into the latest industry trends and innovations. For those considering organizing their own events, MJH Life Sciences provides event planning and management services, facilitating the creation of impactful gatherings for medical professionals.

Where will you go to meet fellow professionals this year?

Medical, health care and business conferences 2025 – a slideshow

Sheila P Burke explains how the Trump administration might approach the ACA

Sheila P Burke Trump Administration ACA

 will officially become the 47th President of the United States. After a plethora of health care nominations following the 2024 Presidential Election, questions about how this second Trump administration will approach health care 

 have risen. Sheila P. Burke shares how she anticipates the Trump administration will approach the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

 served for 19 years on Capitol Hill, notably serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and later Chief of Staff to Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, where she was involved in legislation related to Medicare, Medicaid and the Maternal and Child Health programs, among others. She was elected Secretary of the Senate in 1995, and served as a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) from 2000-2007.

Sheila P. Burke, chair, Government Relations and Public Policy Group, Baker Donelson Law Firm, discusses how she expects the Trump administration to approach the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act under the Trump administration

Sheila P Burke discusses how the Trump administration could impact Medicare and Medicaid

Sheila P Burke Trump administration Medicare and Medicaid 

 have risen. Sheila P. Burke discusses what changes could be ahead for 

Sheila P. Burke, chair, Government Relations and Public Policy Group, Baker Donelson Law Firm, explains what changes could be made to Medicare and Medicaid under the Trump administration.

Medicare and Medicaid under the Trump administration

Medical Economics Editorial Director Chris Mazzolini and Eve Cunningham, MD, chief of virtual health and digital care at Providence and founder of MedPearl, discuss challenges with patient management and workflow.


Music Credits: POSITIVE HAPPY RNB (FUNK NATION) NO MEL by Yummy Tunes - stock.adobe.com
Relaxing Lounge by Classy Call me Man - stock.adobe.com
COCKTAIL by Mythical Audio - stock.adobe.com



Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

Access Challenges in Healthcare (00:00:00)


Discussion on the growing access challenges in healthcare if not addressed.




Keith Reynolds introduces the podcast and its focus on healthcare challenges.




Dr. Eve Cunningham is welcomed to discuss patient management and workflow challenges.



Challenges in Patient Management (00:01:23)


Dr. Cunningham outlines the complexities of patient management and referral decisions for primary care physicians.



Overwhelming Medical Knowledge (00:01:27)

The discussion centers on the challenges in patient management and workflow, emphasizing the growing access issues in healthcare. Dr. Eve Cunningham highlights the complexities faced by primary care physicians, including referral dysfunctions and the overwhelming increase in medical knowledge. MedPearl is introduced as a solution to these challenges, offering features that enhance clinician efficiency and improve referral quality. The conversation also addresses the importance of clinician-centric technology and the need for clinician involvement in developing effective healthcare solutions. Future plans for MedPearl's expansion and implementation are also discussed.

Eve Cunningham, MD, chief of virtual health and digital care at Providence and founder of MedPearl, joins the podcast to discuss challenges with patient management and workflow.

Jiang Li, PhD

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