The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has just announced it is starting HIPAA Phase 2 Audits, this time focusing on business associates…
Healthcare Cyber Insurance – are you keeping up your end?
Healthcare Cyber Insurance is pretty much mandatory. Proliferation of medical information created, maintained and transmitted by and between healthcare providers and organizations of all types, is increasing. Healthcare Cyber Insurance…
EHR Patient Portal – Get the most out of yours!
For most practices implementing an EHR Patient Portal is a new experience. The Meaningful Use Attestation guidelines are putting more and more emphasis in utilizing an EHR Patient Portal in…
OIG 2016 Work Plan – EHR Technology
The OIG 2016 Work Plan, published a few weeks ago, announced reviews of incentive payments for adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHR), and plans to conduct security audits of certified…
2016 OIG Work Plan, here’s another reason to pay attention
If you’ve read my recent post, 2016 OIG Work Plan-Nursing Homes, you know that the OIG has introduced a new project that seeks to examine the SNF prospective payment…
OIG 2016 Work Plan – Impact on Hospitals
The OIG 2016 Work Plan was released earlier last month, and hospitals again lead the pack in terms of OIG auditing projects. In fact, this year there are 25 OIG…
2016 OIG Work Plan-Nursing Homes
The 2016 OIG Work Plan was released on November 2, 2015. The 2016 version weighs in at a slimmer 80 pages versus its more hefty 2015 sibling which was 90…
OIG Work Plan 2016 – Impact on Physician Providers
The OIG Work Plan 2016 has been issued as of November 2, 2015, in accordance with the usual schedule for these OIG Work Plans. We strongly encourage all physician providers…
The OIG Work Plan 2016 – An Introduction
The OIG Work Plan 2016 was released by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) on November 2, 2015. The OIG Work Plan 2016 is an evolving document which outlines the…
HIPAA Enforcement Settlement: penalties keep on coming
The latest HIPAA enforcement settlement highlights the usual pitfalls On September 2, 2015 the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the latest HIPAA enforcement…
ICD-10 Transition: Ready or not, here it comes!
The ICD-10 transition is coming! The calendar is ticking down the days to the deadline for U.S. health care providers to transition from ICD- 9 to the 10th revision of…
HIPAA Compliant Texting: The Do’s and Don’ts
HIPAA Compliant Texting: What’s New? Questions regarding how to send HIPAA compliant text messages never seem to go away. The use of mobile devices, email inquiries from patients, and ever…
Medical Malpractice Case – will your EHR support you?
A medical malpractice case is always an unpleasant surprise. You may second-guess your actions, or wonder if your insurance company and the attorney they assign are going to do a…
eHealth – what is it and why should I care? Answers from the expert!
What is eHealth? Why should I as a healthcare organization bother about eHealth? What benefits are to be expected from eHealth? And what should we do, if anything? These questions…
Another Reason for a Compliance Program
A United States Supreme Court ruling last week underscored the importance of employing a strong and dynamic healthcare compliance program. On Tuesday, in a unanimous decision, the justices ruled on…
Medicare Payment Overhaul – Finally!
Senate Action on the “Doc Fix” On April 14, 2015 the Senate acted on a bill from the House of Representatives to implement a Medicare payment overhaul, including repealing the…
Senior Housing – What’s in Store for 2015?
Based on data just released, it looks like the outlook for senior housing in 2015 is encouraging. According to the National Investment Center for Senior Housing and Care (NIC) MAP…
The eHealth Initiative – what are the current incentives?
The eHealth initiative is still very hard to discern among all the chatter, even the WHO is addressing the eHealth initiative. Is the eHealth initiative just another new buzzword to…
Telemedicine and eHealth
Telemedicine and ehealth is about the development and improvement of health care by means of telemedicine and internet technology. Terms like eHealth, mHealth, healthIT, to mention a few, are common…
The Feasibility Study and Strategic Planning Process in Healthcare
A feasibility study in healthcare is part of a strategic plan designed to address a medical, acute, or long term care, in or outpatient service expansion or new development. The…