Ransomware attacks in the healthcare industry have become increasingly common in recent years, threatening patient care, disrupting daily operations, and possibly compromising protected health information (PHI). Under HIPAA rules, organizations…
What is the False Claims Act in Healthcare?
What is the relationship between the healthcare industry and the False Claims Act? Turns out, it is pretty intimate! In this Article … The False Claims Act – some background…
A Proposed HIPAA Rule Change for 2023
A proposed HIPAA Rule change for 2023 was an early Christmas gift from the Health and Human Services Department (HHS)! On December 21, 2022, HHS released a proposed rule covering…
Is Zoom HIPAA Compliant?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information. And the question “Is Zoom…
How to Open a Nursing Home: what you need to know
Opening a nursing home can be an intimidating task. I’ve been a licensed nursing home administrator for over 40 years and the thought of opening a facility can still keep…
Mastering the OIG Exclusion List
In this Article … What is the OIG Exclusion list? Who is on the OIG Exclusion list? What does it mean if an employee is on the OIG Exclusion List?…
What Methods are Acceptable for Destruction of PHI?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets strict standards for the destruction of protected health information (PHI). PHI is any patient health information that can be used to…
Assisted living occupancy is up – time to jump in?
Assisted living occupancy is beginning to see a rebound in rates for 2022, after experiencing declines in 2020 and 2021. As of the second quarter of 2022, senior living occupancy…
Understanding the Penalties for HIPAA Non-Compliance
Penalties for HIPAA non-compliance can be severe, and both healthcare providers and business associates need to be aware of the risks that come with violating HIPAA Rules. This article provides…
Critical Access Hospital Compliance Plan
Is there anything particularly special about a Critical Access Hospital Compliance Plan? Not really; the same Office of Inspector General Guidance for Hospital Compliance Plans applies to critical access hospitals…
Hospital Compliance Program – Board Concerns
Hospitals commonly have a Hospital Compliance Program. Members of the Board of Directors read about problems or actual misconduct at other institutions. They want to know what the CEO is…
Hospital Market Analysis – 4 Areas of Focus
Your hospital is considering adding one or even several new business lines. You have been assigned the responsibility to analyze the market for these new business lines. You realize you…
What is a Corporate Integrity Agreement?
It seems these days the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department is always busy with settlements or enforcements with healthcare providers. When the…
HIPAA Privacy Rules – Scope and Protection
In 2023 we will observe the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the HIPAA Privacy Rules. The HIPAA Privacy Rule, just like the HIPAA Security Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule,…
Risk Assessment for a Breach of PHI
When should you do a risk assessment for a breach of PHI? The short answer is any time you have a confirmed unauthorized disclosure of protected health information (PHI). The…
Contents of an Assisted Living Market Analysis
Assisted living facilities are one of the fastest-growing segments of the long-term care market in the U.S. An assisted living market analysis is just what you need to get into…
The Hospital Compliance Officer: what you need to know
This year has not resulted in a slowdown in the need for a competent Hospital Compliance Officer. In fact, if anything, it has increased the demand for such a person…
Medical Billing Revenue Cycle – 4 Key Takeaways
Authors have spilled a lot of digital “ink” lately describing the medical billing revenue cycle. We used to just say medical billing or hospital billing. Now we label it much…
What is Value-Based Care? 5 Observations in 5 Minutes!
Value-based care: a term we hear about a lot these days. There are also its synonyms, value-based reimbursement, and value-based payments. Although they are often used interchangeably, they really can…
Private Hospital Feasibility Study – 5 Observations in 5 Minutes
Undertaking a private hospital feasibility study can be a daunting task. Even a high-level checklist of issues to address can be several pages long. And the scope of a full…