As we begin to close out the year, it seems to be a good time to reflect on some of the challenging standards hospitals faced in Joint Commission surveys during 2011.
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs are well under way at this point. The federal Medicare incentive program began issuing payments earlier this year, and many states have already done so as well for the Medicaid program.
Briefings on HIPAA has obtained a copy of the $9.2 million contract with KPMG, LLP, the company OCR hired to conduct HIPAA compliance audits. The contract reveals some details about what healthcare organizations can expect when the audits begin.
Case managers are busy people. And in an era of budget cuts, they may find themselves strapped for time and resources. Due to these circumstances, some case managers might find themselves looking for methods to better manage their workload, including finding ways to focus their time on the neediest patients.
Patients may have easier access to laboratory results under an HHS proposed rule, "CLIA Program and HIPAA Privacy Rule: Patients' Access to Test Reports," released in September.
