March 2006 | Vol. 24, No. 3

Industry News

ARDMS Launches New Ultrasound Careers Website

ARDMS has announced that in response to the growing need for information on careers in ultrasound, it now offers a new informational website for prospective students and allied health-care professionals.

The ultrasound careers website (www.ultrasoundcareers.org) is a resource for students considering a career in ultrasound, and for anyone making a career change into the field. The site will also educate the general public on the exciting and constantly evolving field of diagnostic medical sonography. It includes general articles on what an ultrasound professional does, what the different specialties are, what education one needs to enter this field, average salaries, and much more.

In addition to information about a career in ultrasound, the site has a helpful career center, testimonials from those currently practicing in ultrasound, and links to other sites that may be useful for our visitors. We anticipate that all of these areas will help create more interest in the field.

ARDMS is proud to present this exciting new website, and it hopes the ultrasound careers website will be an excellent resource for those who are interested in the promising field.

For the convenience of SVU members, SVU has added a link to this website on their own Career Information page www.svunet.org/members/career.htm.

HIPAA Enforcement Final Rule published

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported recently that the Final Rule on the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) enforcement was published on 2/16/06 in the Federal Register. The Final Rule covers the HIPAA enforcement process from its beginning, which will usually be a complaint or a compliance review, through its conclusion. The rule applies to covered entities that violate any of the rules implementing the administrative simplification provisions of HIPAA. If a finding of violation is made, a civil money penalty will be sought for the violation, according to HHS. The regulation can be viewed at the following website page: www.cms.hhs.gov/Enforcement/04_GeneralEnforcementInformation.asp