This is the second in a two part series about Crisis Communication in Healthcare by Sally Romoser, Healthcare PR Strategist. The following post addresses “Crisis Communication and Social Media.” The…
Meaningful Use Stage 2 Measures … a Unique Meaningful Use Matrix
We’re a ways into this now. And meaningful use of electronic health records is continuing to evolve. While Meaningful use Stage 1 is still relevant, Meaningful Use Stage 2 Measures…
Nursing Home Construction Cost – What Are the Drivers?
“What are some key drivers for nursing home construction cost?” It’s a question we get asked and a good one to ponder. With current California skilled nursing construction costs in…
OIG Work Plan – Impact on Medicare Part B Providers in 2013
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released its 2013 Work Plan early in October. This OIG Work Plan is the annual publication that contains descriptions of new and ongoing…
OIG Work Plan for 2013 – Nursing Homes
It’s October, and that means the much anticipated OIG Work Plan for 2013 has been released and those in the long term care industry should be very interested in the…
OIG Work Plan for 2013 – a first look
Download the OIG Work Plan Of the many reports and documents that the federal government releases to the public each year, few are more anticipated in healthcare circles than Health…
A crisis communication plan in healthcare is a priority. But it’s not urgent.
Most healthcare executives today operate amidst a constant ticker tape of emails and texts, often punctuated by voicemail queries, requests and interruptions. It’s easy to see why so many leaders,…
Meaningful Use Stage 2 – The Final Rule is out!
On August 23, 2012, CMS issued the final rule on Meaningful Use Stage 2 criteria. This rule covers the Sage 2 criteria for Eligible Professionals (EPs), Eligible Hospitals (EHs) and…
Healthcare Compliance Audits – more and more variety!
Healthcare compliance audits are coming in several shapes and sizes these days. Recently the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the…
HIPAA Audits – What the Feds found in the first round
With the relatively slow roll-out of regulations and enforcement, HIPAA audits always seemed as if they were something to be concerned with in the future, but not necessarily in the…
Even Hospital Billing Done Correctly can have Claims Denied by a RAC
Convinced that your hospital billing department is doing its job well, and yet your claims get denied by a RAC? You’re not alone. Did you know that in one study…
The Meaningful Use Audit – Coming to a location near you soon!
With both Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) ready to step up the policing of the HITECH Act’s EHR incentive payments, it looks…
Trends in Senior Living
This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics released a study entitled Residents Living in Residential Care Facilities: United States 2010. This study, which…
HIPAA Breach of PHI: Repairs are Costly, but Avoidance can be Simple!
The HIPPA Privacy Rule addresses Protected Health Information (PHI), and the HIPAA Security Rule directly address Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). In both cases, a HIPAA breach can be a…
HIPAA Compliant Email: some proactive strategies
Part two of a two-part series on HIPAA Compliant Email In Part I of this post, we reviewed some of the statements that the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the…
HIPAA and Email: there are rules
Part one of a two-part series on HIPAA and email. Email has been widely used by both businesses and the general public for much of the last thirty years, and…
§170.302.i … and how EHR vendors can help improve patient follow-up
The HITECH Act has brought a huge rush of EHR vendors into the market. And separating the good from the bad is ultimately found in the details where there’s an…
HIPAA and HIPAA Risk Assessment
Focused highlights about the requirements of HIPAA, HIPAA risk assessments, business associate agreements, and the security rule for meaningful use/EHR attestation. Back to Video Library Got Questions? Please complete…
Medical Record Documentation … will your’s survive a RAC audit?
Does your medical record documentation support the codes you’re using? And why should you care? Well, one reason is because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has just announced…
Focus on Skilled Nursing and the 2012 OIG Work Plan
On October 5, 2011, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published it’s long anticipated (drum roll please) … OIG 2012 Work Plan. For those of you who are not…