The just-released 2020 Protenus Diversion Digest™ highlights the ongoing toll clinical drug diversion takes on patients, healthcare workers, and healthcare organizations. The report covers data from incidents reported in 2019. Healthcare workers who steal or misuse controlled substances—from physician practices, clinics, pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other organizations—cause direct harm to patients and put their employers at risk for financial penalties and sanctions.

Each year, the UC Davis Health system serves tens of thousands of patients, both in its hospitals and outpatient clinics. Safeguarding patient records and managing the supply of controlled substances are among the many compliance and regulatory tasks with which the Compliance Office is charged. With the volume of compliance issues the office was identifying and investigating, the team wanted to be able to customize its investigation workflows based on the type of incident and adjust its processes accordingly. 

The team at Protenus appreciates all of the work the healthcare community has done to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis. To help our customers and their colleagues, we have compiled a list of helpful resources. 

With the continuing increase in breaches of patient data since 2016, as detailed in the just-released 2020 Breach Barometer®, the healthcare industry must continue to implement best practices to better protect patient data and ultimately prevent health data breaches from occurring. 

Our mission at Protenus is to advance the science of healthcare by bringing together creative and skilled individuals who are passionate about the security, usability, and applicability of health data. As this information becomes more voluminous, comprehensive, and, as a consequence, more vulnerable, we are building scalable, insightful solutions that address critical issues preventing the efficient, safe, and effective delivery of patient care.