Without much fanfare, the OIG, a couple of weeks ago, released its OIG Strategic Plan for 2014-2018. While not as detailed as the annual work plan (remember that the 2014…
Category: HIPAA & Compliance
HIPAA Law Enforcement – It’s not just the province of the OCR anymore!
It is a familiar story: a government agency initiates a HIPAA law enforcement action based on alleged violations of the HIPAA Security Rule. The provider did not develop or implement…
Marketing, Fundraising, and the Sale of PHI – 2013 HIPAA Final Rule Updates
With less than a month left until the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule of 2013 is implemented, it’s time for Covered Entities (CE’s) and Business Associates (BA’s) to get cracking…
Breach Definition Updated in the 2013 HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule
The HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule issued in January 2013 contains many updates to the current regulations, and finalizes the Breach Notification Interim Final Rule of 2009. Among these changes, the…
HIPAA Final Rule of 2013: Are you ready for the changes this fall?
The deadline for compliance with the HIPAA Final Rule, issued in January 2013, is rapidly approaching. By September 23, 2013, all Covered Entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) will…
HIPAA Violations – Do you know where your firewalls are at night?
Two recent settlements by large healthcare organizations remind us where the lines are being drawn by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the US Department of Health and Human…
Affordable Care Act – Implications for Medical Practices
It’s been over three years since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for short. It seems like a good time…
HIPAA Business Associate Agreement – new rules mean mandatory updates
Government enforcement used to seem a long time off when HIPAA regulations issued after the HITECH Act extended various provisions of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules to Business Associates…
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…
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…
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 addresses 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…
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…
OIG Work Plan Update – “What’s new for 2012?”
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released its 2012 Work Plan the other day, as they do every year at about this time. This is the annual publication that…