There’s a reason why the “Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act” (MACRA) is also called the “permanent doc fix”. MACRA permanently eliminates the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula (and its annual threat of physician payment cuts) and provides positive annual payment updates lasting through 2019. Right now, Medicare measures the value and quality of care…
DetailsMost of us here in the United States are used to the traditional health care delivery model: A fee-for-service delivery system, where private insurance companies or patients themselves pay for services received. This includes everything from standard office visits to surgical procedures. The roles between patients and health care providers are clear-cut and usually leave…
DetailsThe Situation It was in March 2016 when two California hospitals, Chino Valley Medical Center in Chino and Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville, were attacked by hackers demanding a ransom. And security experts are predicting more ransomware attacks to come in the immediate future. Let’s face it: Healthcare organizations are dealing with an alarmingly fast-growing…
DetailsAbout the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Audit Program The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has begun its next phase of audits of covered entities and their business associates. This is part of their ongoing efforts to assess compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy regulations which…
DetailsThe increase in weather changes, along with recent natural disasters (think Hurricane Katrina, Irma, and Florence, the latest one), has accentuated the importance of electronic health records (EHRs) and their accessibility. Here is the primary importance: Whatever structures and systems are developed, they must be in place and functioning pre-disaster. Only a little over half…
DetailsThe Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has officially started phase two of its HIPAA audit program, with notification letters being sent to covered entities about their inclusion in the desk audit portion. The letters were sent out on July 11, with 167 covered entities selected. OCR’s goal with the desk audits is to review how healthcare…
DetailsICD-10 grace period ends, but it’s not the end of the world During the first year following ICD-10 implementation in October 2015, physician practices have had nearly a year to adapt themselves to ICD-10 coding. This grace period, also known as ICD-10 “relaxed rules”, notes that Medicare review contractors could not deny physicians’ claims if…
DetailsAccording to The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), patients have more opportunities today than ever before to use tools such as patient portals to access their health information. But have you ever tried to get your medical records from your doctor? Actually, it’s not that easy. A 2013 change to the HIPAA Act requires…
DetailsOn 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…
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