Q: We're seeing an increase in the volume of medical record requests from external auditors. How can we ensure that the information in the records is accurate, timely, and available to meet auditors' demands?
Millions of medical records are sent to insurance companies every year by hospital and health system business office personnel to expedite claims payment, respond to payer audits, or fulfill other payer denial requests for information. And any time medical records are handled, HIPAA concerns come into play.
Protected health information of approximately 19,000 current and former employees of Toyota Industries North America Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, was exposed in a security incident, the company reported in a September notice.
Q: I went to a clinic and they asked to scan my driver’s license. They told me it was federal law and that I could not keep my appointment if I did not let them scan it. Were they right?
The roles and responsibilities of the HIM department have been transformed over the past decade. Although many of the core functions—coding, transcription, ROI—remain at the heart of the department, the way these tasks are performed has changed over time. As newer fields such as CDI or revenue integrity grow, they can open up questions about what role the HIM department plays in the organization and move critical HIM functions out of the department’s direct oversight.
