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By Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart rings continue to top holiday gift lists. While these devices offer convenience and health insights, there is a critical misconception worth correcting, HIPAA protections do not automatically apply to wearable technology. HIPAA governs how covered entities and their business associates handle protected health information (PHI). Most consumer wearable devices are not covered entities, nor are they operating

By: Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS Across industries, organizations often default to external hires when leadership roles open up. While bringing in new perspectives can be valuable, relying too heavily on outside candidates can come at a significant cost, both financially and culturally. Failing to promote from within is more than a missed opportunity. It requires additional onboarding, training, and cultural alignment, all of which demand time and resources. More importantly, i

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a series of decisive actions to strengthen parental rights in pediatric care, signaling a major shift toward accountability and transparency across schools, health systems, and HRSA-funded centers. These actions not only highlight existing legal obligations, they elevate the expectations for compliance, documentation, and oversight in every organization that provides care or handles protected health information

By Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS / Virginia Compliance LLC As the year winds down, many teams begin shifting into holiday mode, wrapping up projects, setting out-of-office messages, and exchanging cookies in the breakroom. But if you work in compliance, you know the season looks a little different for us. While the rest of the organization is preparing for downtime, compliance professionals remain on alert. Regulations don’t pause for peppermint lattes, and risk doesn’t magically

By Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS Every leadership journey reaches a point where your experience, education, and vision begin to outgrow the opportunities in front of you. In healthcare and compliance especially, professionals pour years into their development, earning advanced degrees, mastering complex regulations, driving ethical initiatives, and building systems that protect patients and organizations alike. Yet despite all that dedication, the “right door” doesn’t always open

By Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS I once heard a metaphor about relationships that has stayed with me ever since: Friendship is like a house. Some people stay out in the driveway, polite, distant, familiar but not fully trusted. Others make it to the front porch, where you share light conversation and maybe a glass of iced tea. A smaller group is invited into the living room or around the kitchen table, trusted enough to see a little more of your life. And then, there are the rare

By: Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS In my experience, compliance isn’t just a department or a checkbox, it’s the backbone of sustainable, high-performing healthcare organizations. It sets the tone for integrity, accountability, and quality across every level of the system. When done right, compliance shapes culture just as much as any mission statement or strategic plan. But if compliance is the cornerstone, what supports the rest of the structure? What separates merely functional

By: Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS Before you decide, before you judge, before you react, ask yourself one simple question: Do I know the whole story? (Reread that question, go ahead, I'll wait...) We live in a world that rewards quick takes, instant reactions, and loud opinions. But ethical leadership, the kind that builds trust, fairness, and real impact, requires something far more rare: context. Scenario 1: The Choice Without Context Imagine two people on separate railroad tra

By: Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS In healthcare, compliance isn’t paperwork. It isn’t a checklist. And it’s definitely not just another department tucked away until something goes wrong. Compliance is leadership. It’s trust. It’s integrity. It’s patient safety woven into every decision, every workflow, every moment of care. At its core, compliance ensures that decisions are made ethically, data is protected, and the organization’s actions match the values it proudly displays on i

By: Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS I never imagined that advocating for myself would one day be treated as a reason for retaliation. For nearly a year, I carried out the responsibilities of a higher-level role — leading, problem-solving, stepping up where needed, and delivering results that aligned with the expectations of that position. So when the role officially opened, I did what any dedicated professional would do: I applied. I competed internally and externally. I earned the

By Angela Harrison, MBA, MLS Have you ever completed an entire hiring process — the phone screens, interviews, meet-and-greets — only to hear the organization chose another candidate? You take the news gracefully, wish them well, and genuinely hope they made the right choice… even though there’s that familiar sting of disappointment. Then months later, the same organization reaches back out.The candidate they selected is transferring, and suddenly you  are the person they wan