When you think about a data breach, you probably think about things like maximum fines and penalties of $1.5 million, willful neglect, corrective action plans, and so forth, right? Well, think again.
Cybersecurity threats, cloud computing, proliferation of mobile device technology, and the pervasiveness of social media directly affect healthcare operations and privacy and information security programs?as does the explosion of data, which makes safeguarding information assets increasingly more important and difficult.
Q: My employer is trying to monitor its systems more closely. Which systems in particular are the most important with respect to monitoring? Which activities should the organization monitor?
To fully understand where your organization's risks lie, you not only need to have a firm grasp on risk analysis and assessment processes, you need to define these processes as well.
"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." ?Dr. Seuss
This quote seemed an appropriate way to begin a discussion about outpatient encounters and ICD-10-PCS.
You see, outpatient procedures will still be coded using CPT®/HCPCS?the HIPAA-approved code set for reporting hospital outpatient procedures?regardless of when ICD-10 is implemented.
Coders have only two options for reporting fractures of the patella in ICD-9-CM, closed (822.0) and open (822.1). In ICD-10-CM, that number will jump to more than 400.
Many of these options are the result of separate codes to denote laterality (right or left) in ICD-10-CM. However, the code set also includes options for specific types of fractures, increasing the importance of clear and accurate provider documentation.
