The OIG, Office of Inspector General, oversees Medicare and Medicaid enforcement and highlights areas of focus in its enforcement efforts in a Work Plan. The 2014 Work Plan was released at the end of January and contains some items of note for medical practices. Some items are new and others have been on the OIG Work Plan in prior years and are a continuing project. The … [Read more...] about How the new OIG 2014 Work Plan affects your medical office
Compliance
Can you and should you use Facebook to screen job applicants?
"We don't think employers should be asking prospective employees to provide their Facebook passwords (for pre-hiring background checking) because we don't think it's the right thing to do." -- Facebook (statement on company's website) Facebook's statement has set off a firestorm of controversy and misinformation. The popular consensus seems to be that the employer's practice … [Read more...] about Can you and should you use Facebook to screen job applicants?
Model Tool: Links for more on Office of the Investigator General Workplan
Why you need this list of links: The OIG, Office of Inspector General, oversees Medicare and Medicaid enforcement and highlights areas of focus in its enforcement efforts in a Workplan. The 2014 Workplan was released at the end of January and contains some items of note for medical practices. How this list of links helps you: Some items are new and others have been on the OIG … [Read more...] about Model Tool: Links for more on Office of the Investigator General Workplan
Avoid these 3 deadly employment law traps when hiring or firing
Three errors that cause wrongful terminations Though every employer knows - or should know - the rules for safe firing, mistakes still happen when it comes to showing an employee the door, says Peter Golden, a business and employment law attorney with The Golden Law Firm in Atlanta. In his own practice, he finds that in all types of businesses, manages most often fall down on … [Read more...] about Avoid these 3 deadly employment law traps when hiring or firing
Government issues NEW resources to help ensure safety of electronic health records
Continuing to encourage the use of electronic health records, on January 15, 2014, HHS issued new resources to help providers address Electronic Health Record safety. HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued the Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) Guides. These SAFER Guides are tools such as checklists and … [Read more...] about Government issues NEW resources to help ensure safety of electronic health records
HIPAA resources and guidance
Complying with HIPAA’s privacy and security requirements can be complex and overwhelming. But the Department of Health and Human Services does provide some helpful guidance. Here’s a list of resources we found that might help you understand what’s required and plan your security programs: 1. HHS Security Rule … [Read more...] about HIPAA resources and guidance
Get ready now for critical ICD-10 deadline
ICD-10 takes effect October 1, 2015, which doesn’t leave much time to prepare – especially when you consider the dramatic impact the new code sets will have on medical offices from the standpoint of staffing, training, and, perhaps most significant of all, financial management. Many physician practices have not started down the ICD-10 path, says Ira Shapiro, CEO of The … [Read more...] about Get ready now for critical ICD-10 deadline
Model Tool: ICD-10 preparedness checklist
Why you need this checklist: You need to be ready for the changeover to ICD-10 by October 2015. How this checklist helps you: This checklist tells you what you should have accomplished by now. How to use this checklist: Review the checklist and make sure you have completed each item so you are ready to move forward with necessary tasks. … [Read more...] about Model Tool: ICD-10 preparedness checklist
Model Policy: HIPAA notice of privacy practices
Why you need this policy: HIPAA requires medical practices to prepare and post a Notice of Privacy Practice (NPP) notifying patients of their rights to their own personal health information (PHI) and how the practice uses and discloses the PHI it collects from patients. The NPP is as old as the HIPAA law itself; but recent changes (contained in a law called the HITECH … [Read more...] about Model Policy: HIPAA notice of privacy practices
Are your business associate agreements up to date with the latest HIPAA requirements?
The Omnibus Final rule implementing HITECH made some changes affecting Business Associate (BA) agreements. While Sept. 23 was the compliance deadline for most obligations under the Final Rule, some agreements enjoy a grace period and may not need to be updated until September 2014. But you should take the opportunity now to make sure you haven’t overlooked any issues concerning … [Read more...] about Are your business associate agreements up to date with the latest HIPAA requirements?