Author: Hedges, Ron

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 12, 2015

Legal consequences flow from the use or abuse of EHR. This monthly column presents examples of what those consequences can be.



Healthcare providers receive and respond to subpoenas on a regular basis. Providers routinely produce personal health information (PHI) when doing so....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2010

The healthcare forecast for 2010 includes a strong chance of audit. HIM professionals in many organizations will be busy responding to a shower of external record requests and internal compliance checks.

Stormy systems of audit programs, compliance initiatives, and fraud preventi....

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 2014

This report forecasts areas of OIG focus based on the results of OIG’s risk assessments and have been identified as significant management and performance challenges facing HHS. In FY 2015 and beyond, we will continue to focus on emerging payment, eligibility, management, and IT systems security vulnerabilities in health care reform programs, such as the health insurance marketplaces.

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 03, 2012

The work plan addresses ongoing and proposed work for the major operating divisions of HHS: CMS; the public health agencies: AHRQ, CDC, FDA, HRSA, IHS, NIH, SAMHSA; the Administration for Children & Families and the Administration on Aging.

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 03, 2011

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 03, 2010

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 03, 2009

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 03, 2008

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 03, 2007

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 12, 2006

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 03, 2005

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 12, 2004

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 12, 2003

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 12, 2002

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 12, 2001

Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Inspector General

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: October 12, 2000

Author: McDavid, Jan P; Truscott, Tricia; Crump, Dawn; Brocato, Lori

Source: AHIMA Convention

Publication Date: October 02, 2011

Background:

The need for HIM, Compliance and Revenue Cycle Management to work together is more important than ever. New initiatives, regulations and more stringent compliance demands are crossing the lines of various departments throughout the healthcare continuum. Departments which may....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: In Confidence (newsletter) | AHIMA Q and A

Publication Date: February 02, 2003

Question: I am a long-term care (LTC) consultant. An attorney for a facility I contract with stated the organization does not have to provide a notice of privacy practices to the residents in the facility on April 14, 2003, when the privacy rule becomes effective. Only newly admitted resident....

Author: Hedges, Ron

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 2016

As this blog is about legal consequences, I try to provide current examples of what those consequences might be using a specific set of facts. This month’s example comes from the filming of a documentary television series in New York and Presbyterian Hospital (NYP), one which left me with....

Author: Rose, Angela Dinh

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2016

The HITECH Omnibus Rule mandated that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) conduct periodic audits on the privacy and security compliance of covered entities and business associates. It was during the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) update session on March 21, 2016 at the 20....

Author: Braithwaite, Bill

Source: HIPAA Conference 2000

Publication Date: March 14, 2000

2000 HIPAA Conference Presentation
What's Next?
Presented by Bill Braithwaite, MD, PhD, FACMI, Senior Advisor on Health Information Policy, US Dept. Of HSS Hospital Systems Affected
Laboratory Pharmacy Radiology Registration (ADT) Orders Results Data Warehouse Management Master Perso....

Author: Hedges, Ron

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 18, 2015

This is the last Legal e-Speaking post of 2015. I thought I would use it to predict what 2016 might bring in litigation and beyond. When looking ahead to the next year, there are many possible things that HIM professionals should keep an eye out for, but five stand out to m....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2004

The HIPAA security rule includes a requirement for audit controls and to monitor and manage ongoing security for a variety of processes. But the requirement for internal audit was changed to “information security activity review,” and there is no other specific reference to auditin....

Author: Estrella, Renato

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2003

Efforts to boost the quality of care provided to Medicare patients aren’t new, but CMS’ latest plan will require additional efforts from hospitals. Learn more about the Hospital Payment Monitoring Program and how Quality Improvement Organizations are here to help.
Wondering wh....

Author: Hedges, Ron

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 16, 2016

As a presenter at this year’s AHIMA Annual Convention and Exhibit, I covered many topics. While I plan to post about others in subsequent posts, this month I want to discuss a subject that many healthcare providers and their staff members might find unfamiliar: the National Labor Rela....

Author: Niles, Dirk F.

Source: In Confidence (newsletter)

Publication Date: February 02, 2003

How many times have you wished for a tool that would make HIPAA easier to manage? What if locating the right regulations was as simple as answering a few questions and receiving a compliance plan? New Web-based services offer users a whole new range of options that can take the mystery out of....

Author: Williams, Vickie J.

Source: AHIMA Convention

Publication Date: October 17, 2008

Introduction

For at least the last ten years, the federal government and private whistleblowers have viewed improper diagnostic coding as fertile ground for major investigations and prosecutions of healthcare providers. Prosecutors use the civil False Claims Act, the Civil Money Penalties....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA practice brief

Publication Date: August 2012

Editor’s note: This update replaces the June 2010 practice brief “Verbal/Telephone Order Authentication and Time Frames.”


It is important for a healthcare facility to review and understand all applicable federal and state laws and accreditation standards when de....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA practice brief

Publication Date: June 2010

This practice brief has been updated. See the latest version here. This version is made available for historical purposes only.

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

This practice brief has been updated. See the latest version here. This version is made available for historical purposes only.

Author: Amatayakul, Margret; Work, Mitch

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2007

Survey results illustrate HIM participation in compliance efforts and offer a look at common program components
HIM professionals have long been at the forefront of ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of health information. With the introduction of the HIPAA privacy and security rul....

Author: Shanley, Suzanne

Source: In Confidence (newsletter)

Publication Date: May 02, 2003

Under the security rule, covered entities must ensure that some process is put in place to record and review system access and activity. Audit controls are required to record any alterations to confidential patient information, including changes to content and the addition or deletion of info....

Author: Crump, Dawn

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2014

Medicare's Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program began as a three-year, three-state pilot program in 2005 and went nationwide in 2009. The American Hospital Association (AHA) began tracking data collection in January 2010 and since then, according to AHA, the RAC program has recouped $2.....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2002

The HIPAA transactions, security, and privacy regulations identify five agreements and relationships that can be established between healthcare entities to achieve economies of scale and lessen HIPAA's administrative burden. They are: affiliated covered entity (ACE)

business associa....

Author: Hughes, Gwen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2002

By now you know that amendments to the final privacy rule were published in the August 14, 2002, Federal Register. The amendments are intended to correct problems identified in the original privacy rule published on December 28, 2000.


This article presents a summary of some of....

Author: Ruano, Michael

Source: In Confidence (newsletter)

Publication Date: May 02, 2003

Part three in a 10-part series.
This article is the third of a 10-part series that introduces the domains of information security and relates them to federal HIPAA regulations. The third information security domain of telecommunications and network security is the largest and most compl....

Author: Marsh, Carmilla

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2002

Release of information is a perennial challenge for HIM professionals in all care settings. However, long-term care offers some special challenges, especially in the light of the HIPAA privacy rule published in December 2000 (with a compliance date of April 2003). This article reviews the basi....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: In Confidence (newsletter)

Publication Date: June 02, 2003

Question: Under what circumstances would our organization be investigated for HIPAA privacy compliance?
Answer: The complaint investigation process will be complaint driven. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the enforcement body for the privacy....

Author: Apple, Gordon J.

Source: In Confidence (newsletter)

Publication Date: June 02, 2003

Former President Ronald Reagan coined a phrase during the Cold War, “trust, but verify,” regarding treaties with the former Soviet Union. Today, as we ponder the enforcement environment likely to emerge over HIPAA, a more apt phrase may be “trust, don’t do much, and react to public pressure.”....

Author: Rihanek, Theresa; Lopez, Doreen

Source: AHIMA practice brief

Publication Date: November 2013

This practice brief supersedes the July 2011 practice brief "Understanding Governmental Audits."


Today, armed with enhanced fraud and abuse laws, the federal government has launched new audits that organizations and providers must contend with on a regular basis. Recent additions....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2011

This practice brief has been updated. See the latest version here. This version is made available for historical purposes only.

Author: Gilles, Kathy

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2004

More than 18 months after the HIPAA privacy rule compliance date, there is still one area that remains problematic for many covered entities—the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI) for research purposes. One point of significant confusion is the relationship between....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2008

This column often deals with AHIMA’s or the profession’s larger goals and objectives. Important, yes, but often not what HIM professionals are involved with on a day-to-day basis. This article addresses two significant issues that HIM professionals are facing on the job right now.....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2004

The 2004 Phoenix Health System/HIMSS HIPAA compliance survey indicates that providers find audit controls the most difficult of the HIPAA security standards to implement.
While it is recognized that every organization must conduct a risk analysis to determine the systems or activities th....

Author: Williams, Jutta; Thomason, Mary

Source: AHIMA Convention

Publication Date: October 02, 2011

Balancing the protection of individual privacy and the need to use data to provide quality healthcare is no easy task for healthcare workers – or for regulators. Not surprisingly, regulatory requirements for governing the use of health information are complex and have required revision.....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2002

AHIMA recently attended a meeting of healthcare providers, payers, and staff representatives of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Organized by the Association for Electronic Health Care Transactions, the meet....

Author: Klasa, Marge

Source: AHIMA Convention

Publication Date: October 21, 2005

Introduction

Maintaining the privacy and security of patient health information (PHI) is not only best practice, it is a HIPAA mandate for all Covered Entities (CE).1  But how does the CE know if its Business Associates (BA) and vendors agree to protect and secure patients’ PH....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2012

If you bill fee-for-service programs, your claims will be subject to review by the Recovery Audit Contractor Program (RAC). That was the promise made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services when it expanded its once-experimental program to all 50 states in 2010. The RAC's mission....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2014

Have a spare 32.8 million hours? The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sure hopes so.


As noted in the Federal Register, that figure is the total number of hours the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) estimated it would take all HIPAA-covered entities combined....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA report

Publication Date: April 19, 2006

This third annual survey looks at how well the industry is maintaining HIPAA privacy and security compliance as a part of the normal course of business as it moves further away from the implementation deadlines.