This week's note from the instructor outlines the possible payment pitfalls of a coding clarification CMS included in the July 2018 update to the Outpatient Prospective Payment System.
Q: I am confused about the difference between the laterality modifiers -LT (left side) and -RT (right side) and modifier -50 (bilateral procedure). Can you explain?
Does your performance under the HRRP truly reflect the quality of care at your organization? There can be vast differences in 30-day hospital readmission rates for patients and conditions studied under the Medicare program, compared to other patients at an organization.
HIPAA requires covered entities to protect and confidentially handle patients’ protected health information. Organizations must remain vigilant or they risk violating HIPAA
This week's note from the instructor outlines the possible payment pitfalls of a coding clarification CMS included in the July 2018 update to the Outpatient Prospective Payment System.
Q: My doctor’s office recently hired medical scribes. I was not informed before my visit that another person would be in the exam room taking notes, and the scribe’s presence was not explained until I asked. Does HIPAA require my doctor to get my authorization before bringing a scribe into the room?
This week’s Medicare updates include an OIG study on increases in reimbursement totals for brand-name drugs in Part D, a Special Edition MLN Matters article on hospice billing and claims processing, the July 2018 quarterly update to the Durable Medical Equipment fee schedule, and more!
The recently released 2019 ICD-10-CM update adds some codes to allow additional diagnoses to be reported while adding others for greater specificity. The update includes more than 600 additions, deletions, and revisions.
The proliferation of electronic systems, applications, and medical devices in healthcare creates challenges within and across organizations. With the ever-expanding uses of healthcare information, it is critical to understand the impact of big data and data analytics and the importance of information governance.
Instances of hospital-acquired conditions declined 8% from 2014 through 2016, resulting in the prevention of approximately 8,000 patient deaths, according to data gathered by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research. The reduction in HACs led to a $2.9 billion healthcare spending decrease.
Semantics often gets in the way when it comes to HIPAA Security Rule requirements—and the results can be costly mistakes for your organization in terms of wasted resources, not to mention not satisfying OCR. It’s time for your organization to get a grip on what exact security measures it’s performing.
