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Publication Date: May 02, 2014

AHIMA comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)

Navigating a Compliant Breach Management Process

Author: Downing, Katherine

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2014

The purpose of AHIMA’s new Breach Management Toolkit is to provide a comprehensive collection of resources and best practices to help healthcare organizations and health information management (HIM) professionals navigate their way through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Breach Notification Rule and the overall breach management process. The toolkit is intended to raise awareness of the importance and responsibility of everyone within the organization to report HIPAA breaches to the appropriate designated personnel, as well as provide breach prevention education and training.

Using the C-CDA Standard to Meet Meaningful Use

Author: Campbell, Robert James

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2014

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2010, 35 million patients were discharged from non-federal short-stay hospitals in America.1 Vitally important not only to those discharges—but to every discharge that takes place—is whether important information about the pa....

Personal Health Records: Is Rapid Adoption Hindering Interoperability?

Author: Studeny, Jana; Coustasse, Alberto

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: July 2014

Abstract

The establishment of the Meaningful Use criteria has created a critical need for robust interoperability of health records. A universal definition of a personal health record (PHR) has not been agreed upon. Standardized code sets have been built for specific entities, but....

HIPAA Breach Enforcement Roundup

Author: Cacciatore, Victoria; Downing, Katherine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2014

Criminal attacks on healthcare systems have risen 100 percent since 2010, according to a recent Ponemon study.1 This makes it obvious that the privacy and security of patient health information is vulnerable and highly susceptible to data breach. The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule became e....

Journey through Meaningful Use at a Large Academic Medical Center: Lessons of Leadership, Administration, and Technical Implementation

Author: Unger, Melissa D; Aldrich, Alison M; Hefner, Jennifer L; Rizer, Milisa K

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: October 2014

Abstract

Successfully reporting meaningful use of electronic health records to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can be a challenging process, particularly for healthcare organizations with large numbers of eligible professionals. This case report describes a successf....

Be e-Prepared: Tips for Tackling Ever-changing Electronic Audits, e-Discovery, and e-Measures

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2014

Don’t let the quiet before the storm fool you. Regulators might be hushed now, but compliance activity is expected to keep health information management (HIM) professionals on their toes throughout 2015. As electronic health record (EHR) implementation becomes more pervasive, so too does....

CMS Rule Allows CEHRT Flexibility

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2014

On August 29, 2014, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule that provides flexibility on how providers use certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) and qualify for attestation to the “meaningful use” EHR Incentive Program for the 2014 reportin....

Are We There Yet? How to Improve Meaningful Use and Gauge Industry Performance

Author: Moodhard, Beth Acker; Gelzer, Reed D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2015

One of the many benefits of working in the information management field is being a part of healthcare’s transformation to the use of electronic health records (EHRs). Everyone has a stake in this transformation, and an opportunity to help determine how the transition is actually proceedin....

Optimizing PHI Disclosure Management in the Age of Compliance

Author: Don, Hardwick; Twiggs, Mariela; Braden, James H

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2015

A mere two decades ago, healthcare providers didn’t face significant penalties for improperly disclosing protected health information (PHI). Since then, regulations surrounding the privacy and security of PHI have evolved to include strict requirements and corresponding steep financial pe....

Set Your Sights on ICD-10 and Meaningful Use in 2015

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2015

Now that the new year is well underway, most of us have probably settled on our resolutions and are working hard to achieve them. Hopefully both ICD-10-CM/PCS preparation and the “meaningful use” EHR Incentive Program are high on the list of priorities for healthcare providers.

....

Fixing a Broken EHR: HIM Working in the Spotlight to Solve Common EHR Issues

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2015

Accounts of mistaken identity, anecdotally at least, seem to happen to everyone at least once in the healthcare realm with both paper and electronic records. But in an increasingly electronic world employing electronic health record (EHR) systems and other health IT where patients ar....

Restrictions in Action: Three Case Studies

Author: Beckett, Barb; Downing, Kathy; Gillespie, Joe D; Waugh, Traci

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2015

Since its initial adoption the HIPAA Privacy Rule has granted individuals the right to request restrictions on the use or disclosure of their protected health information (PHI) for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations (TPO), as well as for disclosures to family members and certai....

Privacy and Security for All: Building the "Model Clinic" for Healthcare Security and Compliance

Author: Rogers, Anne M

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2015

HIPAA-HITECH regulations have imposed many important compliance requirements on US healthcare organizations, large and small. However, the reality is that many small- and medium-sized healthcare organizations, private practitioners, and non-profit clinics often struggle to comply with the....

OIG Reveals Top Oversight Priorities for 2015

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2015

OIG's 90-page work plan for fiscal year 2015 (FY15) offers a high-level view of the office's continued monitoring of various HHS programs and initiatives, particularly those designed to ensure the appropriateness of Medicare and Medicaid payments. The work plan also outlines many of the government's activities in FY15 designed to ensure care quality and safety in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Meaningful Use Attestations among US Hospitals: The Growing Rural-Urban Divide

Author: Sandefer, Ryan; Marc, David; Kleeberg, Paul

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: April 2015

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess EHR Incentive Program attestations of eligible US hospitals across geography and hospital type. The proportions of attestations were compared between metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural hospitals and by whether a hospital was crit....

Comments re: Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Stage 3 (CMS-3310-P)

Publication Date: May 26, 2015

Letter to Andrew Slavitt, Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services

Comments re: Proposed 2015 Electronic Health Record Certification, EHR Definition, and ONC HIT Certification Program Modifications

Publication Date: May 26, 2015

AHIMA comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Advancing Stage 3 Meaningful Use and 2015 EHR Certification Criteria: Why HIM Professionals Hold the Key

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2015

This past spring, the HIM profession saw many important regulatory changes. For starters, on March 20 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for stage 3 of the “meaningful use” EHR Incentive Program. At the same time, the Office....

ONC Targets Information Blocking

Author: Downing, Kathy; Mason, Jessica

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2015

A NEW REPORT to Congress from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), released in April, has put information blocking in the spotlight.1 The ONC report comes out on the heels of a recent article written by five US senators titled, “Where Is HITECH’s $35 Billion Dollar....

HIM Best Practices for Engaging Consumers in Their Overall Healthcare

Author: Kadlec, Lesley; Kirby, Annessa; Shaffer, Heidi; Warren, Paula

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2015

As a nation, the United States has been focused heavily on engaging consumers in their overall health and wellness. This has been propelled by federal initiatives such as the “meaningful use” Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, mandated clinical quality measures based....

Health Information Exchange Readiness for Demonstrating Return on Investment and Quality of Care

Author: Khurshid, Anjum; Diana, Mark L; Jain, Rahul

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: 2015

Abstract

Objective—To study the extent to which community health information exchanges (HIEs) deliver and measure return on investment (ROI) and improvements in the quality of care.

Materials and Methods—We surveyed operational HIEs for their characterist....

Ensuring Your Business Associates Provide ‘Satisfactory Assurances’

Author: Lewis, Sharon; McLendon, Kelly

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2015

HIPAA uses the term “satisfactory assurances” four times in the text of its Privacy and Security Rules. Each time the statement is used it describes a covered entity’s (CE) responsibility to obtain satisfactory assurances from a business associate who creates, receives, maintains, or tran....

AHIMA Comments on the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, Stage 3, and Modifications to Meaningful Use in 2015 through 2017 Final Rule