Although it hasn't released many details yet, OCR plans to resume its audits to assess compliance with HIPAA privacy, security, and breach notification requirements in 2014. The government agency also plans to expand the audit focus to include business associates (BA).
If you're looking to reduce your readmissions-and let's face it, who isn't these days?-it may be time to take some tips from organizations that have had success.
High-risk Medicaid patients who received transitional support after hospital discharge were 20% less likely to wind up back in the hospital during the following year, according to a new study.
By now you've probably gotten a good look at the 2014 IPPS Final Rule changes to the inpatient admission guidelines, which CMS released in August. It's time to put these changes into practice.
With some major changes in look and form-but generally adhering to existing guidelines-coding for neoplasms serves as a microcosm of the changes providers will face when the transition to ICD-10-CM occurs October 1, 2014.
Coders select E/M levels based on criteria developed by their organization. CMS has proposed a significant change to E/M coding-replacing the current 20 E/M levels for new patients, existing patients, and ED visits with three G codes-but that change would only apply to Medicare patients and only to the facility side.
