Historically, the healthcare revenue cycle has been dominated by fee-for-service (FFS) payment arrangements that reimburse providers for the volume of care they provide. These reimbursement models have always been tempered by medical necessity determinations to ensure that the care delivered to patients is in fact medically necessary. Over the past several decades, healthcare costs have been rising precipitously. In response, new payment models have been developed to curb that trend and to deliver more cost-effective care with higher quality and better outcomes.
Each year, the AMA updates the Vaccines, Toxoids section of the Medicine chapter in the CPT® Manual to add or revise descriptions of newly available products. In 2015, the AMA added two new product codes (90651, 90630) and revised four (90654, 90721, 90723, and 90734).
Mental health disorders are common in the United States, with an estimated 19% of Americans 18 or older suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder, according to a 2012 survey from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced December 8, 2014, that it fined an Alaska behavioral health service $150,000 for potential HIPAA violations. OCR entered into a resolution agreement with Anchorage Community Mental Health Services (ACMHS), a nonprofit behavioral healthcare service, per the announcement (see www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/enforcement/examples/acmhs/amchs-capsettle...).
Even organizations with sound policies, procedures, training, and safeguards can experience a breach. When?not if?a breach occurs, traditional insurance may not be enough to cover the damages. Ensuring that your organization has adopted the appropriate cyber insurance can be valuable in the event of a breach.
