Medical Office Manager

Barb Manning Grimm

Practices recognize that health care compliance management must be addressed, despite challenges

A nationwide survey finds health care organizations and businesses, including medical practices, confront time and staffing challenges when it comes to health care compliance management. Expertise is also an issue, as is keeping up with changes. Nevertheless, medical practices and other health care providers recognize the importance of health care compliance management. The … [Read more...] about Practices recognize that health care compliance management must be addressed, despite challenges

Health care spending grew in 2014, with more dollars going to brand drugs

Spending on health care for the privately insured in the United States grew at a steady rate over the past five years, increasing 3.4 percent in 2014, finds a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), a nonpartisan research organization. Use of health care services continued to fall in 2014, while prices for all categories of services continued to rise. Despite a … [Read more...] about Health care spending grew in 2014, with more dollars going to brand drugs

Simple differences may hide volumes

By Steve M. Cohen  bio Management is often a game of differentiating between the mundane and the critical. Like many things involving humans, management often includes a lot of seemingly similar demands that turn out to be very different. One of the most important can involve the difference between "practice" and "policy." Legally and otherwise, there's a … [Read more...] about Simple differences may hide volumes

Management really does matter

By Steve M. Cohen  bio Although most of us assume the obvious, it's worth stressing the underlining need for good management and "mess management" in any organization. There is much that you can do to anticipate the potholes and to navigate around them if you are savvy and prepared. It helps if you have formal education in leadership and management, but even if you don't, … [Read more...] about Management really does matter

IOM report targets diagnostic errors, calls for medical offices to help improve process

Estimating that most individuals experience at least one diagnostic error at some point in life, and 5 percent of adults experience an error each year, a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Improving Diagnosis in Health Care," the latest in its Quality Chasm Series, asserts that "[i]mproving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, … [Read more...] about IOM report targets diagnostic errors, calls for medical offices to help improve process

Massachusetts doctor indicted in Anti-Kickback case

A Massachusetts gynecologist was arrested in connection with allegedly accepting free meals and speaker fees from a pharmaceutical company in return for prescribing its osteoporosis drugs, allowing pharmaceutical sales representatives to access patient records, and lying to federal investigators. The physician was indicted on one count of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute, … [Read more...] about Massachusetts doctor indicted in Anti-Kickback case

Expect more concerted HIPAA enforcement due to OIG reports

The protection of individuals' private health information isn't being adequately enforced, according to the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG issued two reports criticizing the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for failing to proactively enforce privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and follow … [Read more...] about Expect more concerted HIPAA enforcement due to OIG reports

Compliance checklist

Use this checklist to make sure you have complied with all the new and modified requirements in the HIPAA final rule: Notice of privacy practices Addresses breach notification rules Discusses uses for which authorization is required Advises patients they can request nondisclosure to health plan if they pay out-of-pocket Addresses sale of PHI Advises patients they can opt out … [Read more...] about Compliance checklist