CRM Software and HIPAA | businessnewsdaily.com

July 1, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As a healthcare provider, ensuring patient data security and privacy is as crucial as delivering medical care itself. Patients have a legal right to data security and privacy, which are protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This law governs all devices containing or transmitting protected health information (PHI), including customer relationship management (CRM) software.

While CRM software offers significant benefits to healthcare organizations, the CRM system you choose must be properly secured and monitored. Healthcare organizations are prime targets for cyberattacks, with approximately 374,000 healthcare records breached daily in 2023, according to The HIPAA Journal. Below, we’ll explore CRM usage in healthcare and the importance of finding a HIPAA-compliant CRM to safeguard patient data.

Kenya’s catastrophic flooding highlights why it’s time to rethink aid delivery | Fast Company

June 27, 2024June 26, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

My mother and I were climate refugees. When I was a baby, we left our drought-stricken rural home for Nairobi, hoping the city would offer stable work and secure a better future for our family. With few options, we landed in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, living on the edge of survival without enough food to eat and without access to clean water, healthcare, or formal education. We scraped by on sheer will and survival instincts.

In recent months, torrential rains and floods have been the most catastrophic in Kenya in decades, killing 300 and displacing 300,000. The majority live in slums, crowded into metal shacks on land that quickly turns to mud. There are no government services and no safety net, even when crisis hits. Rivers have become clogged with waste, leading to the outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera; food insecurity has surged; and homes have been destroyed. The damage will be felt for years to come—and the problem is quickly accelerating. More than 110 million people in Africa were affected by climate-related hazards in 2022, and 700 million people will be displaced due to food and water scarcity as a result of climate-related events by 2030.

In rural Alabama, an underground mine threatens to blow up the homes above it. Officials don’t care | Fast Company

June 27, 2024June 26, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Lily Spicer felt the energy of the explosion surge through her body.

She was talking to her daughter on the phone when the boom came. Her family was accustomed to the occasional blasts that would sometimes shake their windows, she said. But this was different.

“The only way I can describe it would be a direct hit with a lightning bolt, a massive explosion, and an earthquake, all in one,” she said.

Signs It’s Time to Buy a New PC | businessnewsdaily.com

June 26, 2024June 25, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When a computer begins to slow down or shows other signs the end is near, it’s tempting to start searching online for a replacement. However, there’s a lot to consider when you’re deciding whether to upgrade a PC, particularly in a business setting. The costs add up, especially when you’re adding multiple machines to your technology fleet, even a small one.

Questions like “How long do computers last?” and “What is the average laptop’s lifespan?” are usually top of mind when you weigh the pros and cons of buying new computers vs. managing a little bit longer before you take the financial plunge. Here are answers to common questions about the lifespan of business laptops and desktops, signs it might be time to purchase new hardware, and information about the costs involved.

How summer camps are adapting to extreme heat events | Fast Company

June 25, 2024June 24, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

At the end of their weeklong sleepaway camp, a hush falls over the boisterous kids at YMCA’s Camp Kern as they prepare for a treasured annual tradition: after songs and skits around a bonfire, they write down their favorite memories on slips of paper. Most years, they toss them into the flames, and the ash that rises and then falls over their heads is meant to symbolize the joy they shared.

But this year, it was too hot for a bonfire.

Even as the sun went down, on a day when the high hit 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) with oppressive humidity, kids wiped the sweat from their foreheads, flocked to water coolers to refill bottles, and fanned themselves to try to get a breeze going. At the end of the night, they burned their memory notes in a small bucket.

Why coffee prices could spike globally due to Vietnam’s drought | Fast Company

June 25, 2024June 24, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Vietnamese coffee growers have been hit hard this year by the worst drought in nearly a decade, raising concerns about pricier espressos across the world, even as some farmers keep yields healthy with clever countermeasures.

Domestic forecasts for next season’s harvest in Vietnam, the world’s second-biggest coffee producer, remain grim.

The Mercantile Exchange of Vietnam (MVX) expects a 10-16% fall in output because of the extreme heat that hit the Central Highlands coffee region between March and early May, according to deputy head Nguyen Ngoc Quynh.

How to Become a Better Business Owner | All Business

June 24, 2024June 23, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

By the time you realize that being an entrepreneur is a lifelong journey, you’ve already solidified a lot of the patterns and practices you use to run your business. In my mind, analyzing those habits and ways of doing business, and tweaking them where necessary, can help you improve, no matter how many times you’ve been around the block.

I have come up with four tips on how to become a better business owner, many of which rely on bringing more mindfulness into business. These tips aren’t about working more or making more money. In fact, they may seem to be quite the opposite. And yet, I’ve seen business owners not only become happier when they shift how they operate but also more financially successful.

How to Reduce Digital Distraction at Work | All Business

June 24, 2024June 23, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When it comes to technology, most of us are grateful for it. Computers make everything easier—from researching information to communicating with friends and colleagues—and even once basic devices like phones and cars are getting high-tech makeovers to do more, faster and better.

At the same time, there are critical drawbacks that occasionally prevent technology from working in our favor. When you lose your Internet connection, you’re practically helpless. When you do research, it’s easy to get distracted by peripheral tasks. When you’re online, you’re constantly getting messaged and distracted from your work. Ultimately, is technology increasing or decreasing our productivity?

The results are mixed. Online productivity statistics suggest that workers, on average, are only productive for a few hours on the computer during a typical eight-hour workday. Yet, at the same time, Internet access gives us more contact, more information, and greater speed—so those hours might be even more productive than a longer period of work just 20 years ago. The New York Times reports that our productivity has been increasing over the past few years, though at the low rate of just about 1 percent annually.

Visa Relaunches SavingsEdge with New Offers for Small Businesses | Small Biz Trends

June 21, 2024June 20, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Visa Inc. has announced the relaunch of its Visa SavingsEdge program, introducing new features designed to offer more value to small businesses in the U.S. and Canada. For over ten years, Visa SavingsEdge has helped eligible Small Business cardholders with savings and tools to aid their growth. The revamped program looks to support smarter spending and saving with a more dynamic platform and new offerings.

Small businesses are showing resilience despite economic concerns. According to the latest Visa Small Business Pulse survey, 77% of U.S. businesses expect revenue growth in 2024, mirroring their experience in 2023. This growth has improved the economic outlook, with 59% of surveyed U.S. small businesses optimistic about the economy’s future, up from 47% in 2023. To build on this momentum and support growth, 64% of small businesses plan to invest in cost-saving technology.