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What Does a Ransomware Attack Look Like to Patients?

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Meghan in Blog

What Does a Ransomware Attack Look Like To Patients?

One of my favourite podcasts is Help Me with HIPAA. This weekend I listened to Episode 304 Ransomware Creates a Social Media Privacy Violation Storm while I was spring-cleaning my yard.

Donna and David discuss in (almost) real time a ransomware attack that was currently occurring at the San Diego California’s main health systems, Scripps Health. The attack resulted in practically all of its technology being taken down. The EHR went down, patient portals were down, appointments had to be rescheduled, patients had to be diverted to other hospitals… even their website was down.

This podcast episode isn’t about the technology about ransomware. Donna and David walk you through the impact on patients – from the inconvenience and frustration to the disastrous consequences of not having health information available when it is most needed.

This gripping story reveals how communication failures, systems failures and a lack of information snowballed to negatively affect patients when they needed help the most.

My Takeaways From This Help Me With HIPAA Episode

Ransomware is nefarious and its impact is far-reaching.

  • Patient care is compromised – patient information is not accessible, and it is unknown what information can be retrieved and, if it is retrieved, if it is complete and accurate.
  • Privacy breach – obviously! The hackers have patient, employee and business information and have threatened to release it publicly.
  • BUT – employees are also continuously breaching privacy while they are responding to patient concerns on social media DURING the ransomware attack.
  • Employees cannot access their information to do their jobs – work schedules, payroll, portals to perform their jobs. So, alternate, unauthorized workflows are implemented to get the job done which subsequently results in more breaches.
  • While the press release from Scripps Health indicates that they have trained and prepared personnel, the communication from Scripps to patients, employees, and the public has been disorganized, conflicting, and continuously breaching privacy and confidentiality.

I urge you to listen to this episode (about 30 minutes).

Listen to the Help Me With HIPAA Podcast HERE!

[Start at 18:19 minutes]

What Would You Do?

How would you and your team respond to this type of privacy breach?

Share this episode with the members of your incident response plan. Then, use the scenario to conduct a table-top privacy breach fire drill using your privacy breach management plan.

These table-top privacy breach fire drills are a great demonstration of your commitment as an organization to ensure that you are protecting the privacy confidentiality and security of health information.

Now hop over and listen to the Help Me With HIPAA episode to better understand what a ransomware attack looks like to a patient.

https://helpmewithhipaa.com/privacy-questions-everywhere-ep-304/ [Start at 18:19 minutes]

Communication, healthcare, incident response plan, Patients, privacy, ransomware, ransomware attack

Can We Talk? (about something really important)

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Jean Eaton in Blog, Guest Post

Can We Talk? (about something really important)

A Guest Post by Grant Ainsley of Grant Ainsley, Inc.

One of the things I like about Saturday Night Live is, not only are some of its skits really funny, but they also make you think about society. A great example came last Saturday when Will Ferrell was part of a skit that featured a few couples having dinner when one of the women brought up the real-life story about actor Aziz Ansari, who hosted SNL last fall. I chuckled as each time someone in the skit started to talk about the sexual nature of the story, somebody would express alarm or take offence, regardless of how softly a statement was made.

That happens in real life. It's part of the change in society to be less judgmental, understanding and what some would call politically correct. That's why having an important conversation with somebody in the workplace has become so challenging.

We need to have difficult conversations though to move organizations forward, so here's a five-step plan to go through before you have your next important discussion.

Why Communication With Your Boss Sucks

I wrote a blog last week called Why Communication With Your Boss Sucks. It was very well read, according to my numbers from Google. I like to think it’s because the content was really strong, but it may just have been the catchy title. Either works I guess. The blog basically looked at two workplace surveys. One was a survey of employees and it showed the top three things people don’t like about their jobs relate to communication. Number one was poor communication with the boss. The other survey involved managers and it revealed almost 70% of managers feel uncomfortable communicating with employees when they have to do performance reviews and other managerial tasks. Those two surveys clearly show why workplace communication is such a problem. I made a couple of suggestions how I thought communication could be improved, but I didn’t have the space to go into detail about what people should do before they have an important conversation. Today I will.

My 5-Step Process

I believe before a manager speaks to an employee about something important, or vice versa, or before anyone has a crucial conversation with somebody from outside their organization, they should take a few minutes and go through a process to be prepared to get the most out of the conversation. My five-step process is built around five words – Plan, Practice, Listen, Counter and Close. This video tells the story quite well.

Plan

There are a few things the video didn’t cover, so let me provide a few more details. When you plan your crucial conversation, think about the one thing you want to get out of it. Doing that really helps you focus on the most important outcome of the discussion.  Let’s say you’re a boss and want to change an employee’s behavior. If you decide that’s what you need to get out of the conversation, it becomes much easier to deal with the uncomfortable nature of the discussion, because knowing what you want becomes much like a goal. It also helps you measure the success of the conversation.  Did you get what you wanted out of it, or to put it another way, were you successful in changing behavior?

Practice

Although it may be awkward, verbalize what you plan to say during the conversation.  Say the words out loud. Do it in your office with the door closed, or under your breath at your desk if you don’t have a private space. You’ll find when you know what you plan to say, before you say it, you will say it better and much more confidence and conviction.

Listen

Listening is something you can’t do as you prepare, because it obviously needs to occur during the conversation. However, you can prepare some questions for the other person and then plan to allow the other person to speak. Questions control conversations.  Just make sure you’re prepared to listen to the answer.

Counter

Take a moment to consider objections that the other person will likely make as a result of what you have to say. Hopefully the other person will agree with what you’re saying, or at least not have a problem with it. Unfortunately though, that’s not always human nature. It’s easier for people to blame someone or something else for a problem, or suggest that somebody else is a bigger offender than they are. Make sure you keep the discussion on track and not about something else.

Close

Don’t make the mistake of trying to wrap up the meeting as quickly as possible. Make sure you and the other person are crystal clear on what was discussed, what the plan of action is, dates to meet again are penciled in and anything that that allows both of you to fully understand where you stand. You have gone to the effort to prepare properly for the meeting and go through a difficult discussion, so take a little extra time to make sure you know what was agreed to. Plan, practice, and counter before the meeting and make sure you listen and close during the meeting and you’ll get a lot more out of crucial conversations. It might not be fun, but it should be beneficial.

Grant Ainsley is a former award-winning journalist and public relations professional who now works with politicians, business executives, association leaders and others to help refine their messages. He has spoken across the country about the news media, spending much of his time conducting media training sessions for organizations. He also does workshops for executives to improve their communication skills. Ainsley spent almost three decades in the news media, public relations and association management. His first career was in radio and for the majority of that time he was News and Public Affairs Director of 96 K-Lite Radio in Edmonton. In addition to managing the newsroom and assignments for reporters, he handled morning news anchor duties and either hosted or produced a daily talk show. Later, he was in charge of Public Relations for the City of Edmonton’s Public Works department and its 1,500 employees. While there, he was responsible for communications as Edmonton launched Canada’s first curbside waste recycling program. Ainsley then moved into association management and for over a decade was CEO of the Alberta branch of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. In all three careers, he won national awards for his work. During his time in the media, Ainsley interviewed some of the most prominent names in Canada at the time, including Wayne Gretzky, John Chretien, John Candy, Rick Hansen and many others. He’s the author of the book The Honest Spin Doctor about media relations and lives in Edmonton, Alberta where he was born and raised.

Want to learn more from Grant?

Sign up for his weekly blog and receive his e-book,

Bulletproof Your Brand!

Yes, please send me the e-book!

Communication, Grant Ainsley, media training, prepare for difficult conversations

Communication Tactics for Effective, Efficient Communication For Every Setting And Occasion

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Jean Eaton in Archive

Welcome to the Practice Management Nuggets Webinars for Your Healthcare Practice interview with  Lauren Sergy of Upfront Communications and the author of The Handy Communication Answer Book. She knows that working in healthcare is a high stress and high stakes situation. Communication skills is critical in the workplace.

Recorded live Thursday April 27 12 Noon MDT

 with Lauren Sergy

of Upfront Communications and the

 author of The Handy Communication Answer Book


Introduce yourself in the chat!


Enter your questions for Lauren or Jean.
You will receive a reply by email.

Download the Learning Resources Guide  – notes and resources for you!

Click to Download Learning Resources Guide Purchase The Handy Communication Answer Book on Amazon.ca

 

Lauren's Communication Newsletter

 

 

Lauren Sergy, Upfront Communication

Lauren Sergy is a well-known expert on the subject of communication and public speaking and has graciously consented to this interview to share some great information with us about practical, helpful, and downright interesting facts and figures about communication so every healthcare provider or practice manager in our audience can understand master effective and efficient communication for every setting and occasion.

 

The Handy Communication Answer Book  written by Lauren Sergy and published by Visible Ink Press, traces the history, explains the concepts, and examines the skills needed to master effective and efficient communication for every occasion. Providing insights and advice, this useful primer looks at how to improve verbal, nonverbal, and written communications. Available on Amazon.ca.

Communication Tactics for Effective And Efficient Communication

For Every Setting And Occasion

 with Lauren Sergy

of Upfront Communications and the

 author of The Handy Communication Answer Book

Thursday April 27, 2017 12 Noon MDT

Replays will be available for only a limited time.

Practice Management Nuggets’© series is hosted by Jean Eaton (Your Practice Management Mentor) of Information Managers Ltd.

Communication, health care, healthcare, Lauren Sergy, The Handy Communication Answer Book

Do You Feel That You Are Just Not Being Heard?

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Jean Eaton in PMN Replay

Is this you? Common questions that indicates that you might want to improve your communication skills:

  • I just don’t get where that person is coming from.
  • I have a hard time to persuade someone to my point of view.
  • Often I feel that I’m just not being heard.

Communication Tactics for Effective And Efficient Communication For Every Setting And Occasion

Join us for the Practice Management Nuggets Webinars for Your Healthcare Practice interview with  Lauren Sergy of Upfront Communications and the author of The Handy Communication Answer Book. She knows that working in healthcare is a high stress and high stakes situation. Communication skills is critical in the workplace.

#1 Communication Tip

Here is Lauren Sergy’s #1 tip for healthcare providers and practice managers to communicate effectively and efficiently.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Lauren's #1 #Communication Tip: Communicate without judging the audience. #PracticeManagementNuggets” quote=”Understand the context of the person with whom you are communicating and do this without judgement.”]

In this 30-minute Privacy Management Nugget Lauren Sergy will give you practical information that will help you to improve your communication skills to be a more sensitive and effective communicator.

Lauren shares a strategic approach to pre-plan your communication so that your communication is effective and efficient.

Benefits of Effective and Efficient Communication

  • Reduce stress in your workplace and your life.
  • Build greater clarity in your communication goals.
  • Achieve what you want to everybody’s greater satisfaction.

 

Lauren Sergy, Upfront Communication

Lauren Sergy is a well-known expert on the subject of communication and public speaking and has graciously consented to this interview to share some great information with us about practical, helpful, and downright interesting facts and figures about communication so every healthcare provider or practice manager in our audience can understand master effective and efficient communication for every setting and occasion.

 

The Handy Communication Answer Book  written by Lauren Sergy and published by Visible Ink Press, traces the history, explains the concepts, and examines the skills needed to master effective and efficient communication for every occasion. Providing insights and advice, this useful primer looks at how to improve verbal, nonverbal, and written communications. Available on Amazon.ca.

Communication Tactics for Effective And Efficient Communication

For Every Setting And Occasion

 with Lauren Sergy

of Upfront Communications and the

 author of The Handy Communication Answer Book

Recorded live Thursday April 27, 2017 12 Noon MDT

Watch the Replay now – Available for a Limited Time!

Register for this free webinar here

The perfect lunch break for busy practice managers – only 30 minutes and it’s free!

Practice Management Nuggets Webinars is a regular interview series with practice managers, healthcare providers, or trusted vendors who support healthcare practices. Topics include things you need to know to help you start, grow, fix, or maintain your healthcare practice. The events will be short – about 30 minutes – with nuggets of information that you can use right away.

And best of all – this is a free, no cost opportunity for you and your staff to hear from experts on a variety of topics how they made their clinics and businesses a success! Register now to receive a weekly update of the Practice Management Nugget Webinar guest speaker. Even if you can’t attend register anyway and we will send you the replay. Replays will be available for only a limited time.

Practice Management Nuggets’© series is hosted by Jean Eaton (Your Practice Management Mentor) of Information Managers Ltd.

Communication, health care, healthcare, Lauren Sergy, The Handy Communication Answer Book

How to Effectively De-escalate an Angry Patient – Live

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Jean Eaton in Archive

In this FREE 30-minute Practice Management Nugget Webinar for Your Healthcare Practice with Monique Caissie,  you will learn How to Effectively De-escalate an Angry Patient.

Have you ever been challenged by a patient who is demanding and disruptive and rude?

We have all been there. Monique will help us with tips, scripts and strategies to help you manage these difficult situations with empathy and assertiveness. Invite your staff, colleagues and co-workers to join in the discussion, too!

Communicate Strategically with Difficult People…even if they drive you CRAZY!

 

Join us for the webinar with Monique, and explore these strategies that you can use to de-escalate a patient’s anger

1. Listening and curiosity

2.Empathy and validation

3.What to say

4.Find out what they want

5.Offer alternatives or suggestions

6.Help them save face

 

Recorded Live on Thursday, July 21, 2016

 How to Effectively De-escalate an Angry Patient

with Monique Caissie

 

Send a question by email:

Download Your Resources:

Learning Resources Guide 6 Point Tip Sheet to De-escalate Anger Great Big Book of Signs – Instant Download

 

Bonus from Monique

How To Ask For What You Want Cheat Sheet

 

 

Meet Monique

Monique Caissie LaughingI am a recovering doormat. Over the last 30 years, whenever I learned one of the secrets of confident communication, I couldn’t wait to share it with others struggling with challenging relationships.  As a former crisis interventionist, counsellor and educator, I have impacted thousands of people to have better conversations with others who drive them CRAZY!

 

hosted by Jean L. Eaton of Information Managers Ltd.

Your Practice Management Mentor and Practical Privacy Coach

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Our weekly interviews are a hit with practice managers and healthcare providers!

We’ve made it easier for you to attend.

Simply sign up now to receive weekly notices of the next Practice Management Nugget guest speaker. Replays of each event will be available for only a limited time. You only need to sign up once to receive information for all the FREE Practice Management Nugget interviews.

Or, attend our next Practice Management Nugget event for free here.

Tip:  Put this link in your calendar for Thursdays at 12 noon MDT.  Then click it a few minutes before we begin and it will take you directly to the webinar.

#CommunicateConfidently, #PracticeManagementNugget, assertiveness, bullying, Collaboration, Communication, confidence, Monique Caissie, podcast, Practice Management Nugget, resilience, speaker

“Not my problem” escalates anger. Do this instead!

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Jean Eaton in Blog

Monique Caissie is my guest on this week's Practice Management Nugget Webinar for Your Healthcare Practice.

Read Monique's article below and then join us for the Free Webinar on Thursday July 21.

As we patiently wait for the admin assistant to call our number at the clinic, a man at the desk is asking her what’s taking so long for the doctor to see him and that he has to get back to the office. He wants to know how much longer. She abruptly says they don’t give times. He asks how many people are ahead of him. Instead of answering, the girl dismissively points to the sign next to her desk and goes in the back where the files are. The sign reads “Aggressive behaviours will not be tolerated”.

Clearly, she over-reacted to his questions. Her dinosaur brain came on and she went into Fight/Flight instead of using her thinking brain. Frustrated, the man sits back down swearing under his breath.

Understandably, he seems angrier than when he approached the desk. In fact, the mood of the whole waiting room is not pleasant. Honestly, I suspect that anyone who witnessed this will approach the desk prepared to be even more assertive. Situations are exacerbated when we don’t try to de-escalate someone’s anger.

De-escalating a situation is the best antidote to anger. 

Click to Tweet!

Click to Tweet!

 

 

 

 

Here’s a sample of what the girl could have done instead.

She could have responded with regret and politely given the information that she had no control over the wait.

She could have admitted that she would feel frustrated in his shoes.

She could ask him if he needs to reschedule or will he be able to wait until they catch up to him in the queue.

These may not solve his problem. In fact, depending on his personality or circumstances, he could be just as frustrated. This way, she gives him the opportunity to feel respected and heard. As it stood, the tension of the waiting room had increased.

I would be calling that customer service response “career limiting behaviours”.

As stressful as an angry client might feel, we must not take their frustration personally. In fact, dealing with angry clients happens in every industry and at every level of the organization. Whether we are the receptionist at the front or the CEO, it is always part of our job to keep our cool and turn on our problem solving skills.

The first rule is that we must do our best to approach them with curiosity. You are now the diagnostician. Let them know you want to help if you can. Becoming defensive or dismissive will only serve to pour gas on the fire so look for solutions and check your ego at that door.

It’s only logical. Have you ever seen a two year old in the middle of a tantrum? The good parent is curious, patient and does not get angry back. After all, they are more mature than a two year old. Effective parents are trying to understand and guide the child’s behaviours to more acceptable ones.

The less effective parent will yell back or they will ignore and not redirect the behaviour. Good communicators make the effort.

 

Reprinted with permission. Originally posted on July 14, 2016 by MoniqueCaissie

 

How to learn more:

Would you like an opportunity to ask a few questions about this?
Applying effective communications strategies may be easier than you think. I hope you will join us on the webinar where we will cover the 6 tips for an angry person.

I am being interviewed by Jean L Eaton of Information Managers Thursday, July 21st. Check out the webinar and you can ask questions during the webinar.

Register for the Free Webinar
#CommunicateConfidently, Communication, healthcare, Monique Caissie, resilience, speaker

How to Effectively De-escalate an Angry Patient

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Jean Eaton in Archive

In this FREE 30-minute Practice Management Nugget Webinar for Your Healthcare Practice with Monique Caissie,  you will learn How to Effectively De-escalate an Angry Patient.

Have you ever been challenged by a patient who is demanding and disruptive and rude?

We have all been there. Monique will help us with tips, scripts and strategies to help you manage these difficult situations with empathy and assertiveness. Invite your staff, colleagues and co-workers to join in the discussion, too!

Communicate Strategically with Difficult People…even if they drive you CRAZY!

 

Join us for the webinar with Monique, and explore these strategies that you can use to de-escalate a patient’s anger

1. Listening and curiosity

2.Empathy and validation

3.What to say

4.Find out what they want

5.Offer alternatives or suggestions

6.Help them save face

 

 

 

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Join us for the Free Practice Management Nugget Webinar for

Your Healthcare Practice

How to Effectively De-escalate an Angry Patient

with Monique Caissie

 

Register for the webinar here!

 

Meet Monique

Monique Caissie LaughingI am a recovering doormat. Over the last 30 years, whenever I learned one of the secrets of confident communication, I couldn’t wait to share it with others struggling with challenging relationships.  As a former crisis interventionist, counsellor and educator, I have impacted thousands of people to have better conversations with others who drive them CRAZY!

 

hosted by Jean L. Eaton of Information Managers Ltd.

Your Practice Management Mentor and Practical Privacy Coach

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Our weekly interviews are a hit with practice managers and healthcare providers!

We’ve made it easier for you to attend.

Simply sign up now to receive weekly notices of the next Practice Management Nugget guest speaker. Replays of each event will be available for only a limited time. You only need to sign up once to receive information for all the FREE Practice Management Nugget interviews.

Or, attend our next Practice Management Nugget event for free here.

Tip:  Put this link in your calendar for Thursdays at 12 noon MDT.  Then click it a few minutes before we begin and it will take you directly to the webinar.

#CommunicateConfidently, #PracticeManagementNugget, assertiveness, bullying, Collaboration, Communication, confidence, Monique Caissie, podcast, Practice Management Nugget, resilience, speaker

What is the elephant in the room?

The Elephant in the Room Find out here...

 

Privacy Policy

 

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- Vera, Alberta Health Services

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