On October 14th, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Final Rule implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). The goal is to improve the quality of healthcare by structuring the different value-based payment models that have replaced the traditional fee-for-service system. This rule finalizes policies to…
DetailsBased on the data from the first nine months of 2016, the number of ransomware attacks this year will be four times higher than last year, according to a study from Beazley, a data breach response insurance company. Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2016/10/26/430541.htm Healthcare organizations are more and more the targets of malicious hacker attacks. Ransomware, a type of malware, is clearly…
DetailsThe transition to a Republican administration and a Republican-controlled Congress in January 2017 is expected to bring some changes to the healthcare industry. So what implications on health IT, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), and on Privacy and Security might be expected under the new administration? Let us dare take a glimpse…
DetailsThere is an increasing pressure for healthcare organizations to produce timely and accurate documentation. Hospital staff often feels burn-out fueled by documentation rework and retrospective queries. Staff burnout can lead to a rise in medical errors, denials, and costs. What’s highly needed is an efficient technology that complements patient care by meeting two major expectations:…
DetailsPhase 2 of the HIPAA audit program was rolled out in March 2016. There are currently more than 200 desk audits ongoing, 167 of those focused on providers, according to Healthcare IT News. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) will be conducting on-site HIPAA audits in 2017. An on-site…
DetailsAccording to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), Patient Generated Health Data (PGHD) are “health-related data created, recorded, or gathered by or from patients (or family members or other caregivers) to help address a health concern. PGHD include, but are not limited to health history, treatment history, biometric data, symptoms, and lifestyle choices.” The data is collected and…
DetailsAccording to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) health literacy is “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” This includes the ability to understand instructions on prescriptions, doctor’s directions and medical education brochures, as well…
DetailsInformation Governance (IG) is a large, complex area (as determined by a recent survey); awareness of it is high (almost 85 percent) and almost 75 percent were familiar with the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) definition of IG. However, only 15 percent of respondents to a recent survey reported a prioritization of IG within…
DetailsApril is AHIMA Privacy and Security Month, a great opportunity to keep confidentiality and security on everyone’s radar. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) states, “The Privacy Rule sets the floor providing baseline requirements to preserve the overall confidentiality of protected health information (PHI) regardless of type (e.g. verbal, paper, electronic). The Security Rule…
DetailsThese days, digital information is gold. This is especially true in healthcare, where organizations strategically use health information to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and try to enhance the safety and quality of patient care. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) defines information governance “as an organization-wide framework for managing information throughout its lifecycle and…
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