The company, based in Prince George's County, MD, got hit in February with OCR's first civil money penalty for violations of the HIPAA Privacy Rule-a $4.3 million tab that included $3 million for failing to cooperate with the agency's investigation. OCR determined Cignet acted with "willful neglect" and did not take action to correct the violations, which allowed the agency to impose the highest level of fines based on its tiered penalty structure.
There are some Joint Commission EPs with which almost all hospital HIM departments struggle. Surveyors continue to focus on them, so chances are you should too.
When President Obama signed into law the HITECH Act as part of ARRA in February 2009, it meant a bevy of changes to the existing HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Enforcement Rules.
In what instances would a dual system be necessary? What impact, if any, will ICD-10-CM/PCS have on transcription? What about form redesign? Find out the answers to your colleagues' ICD-10 implementation questions.
Establishing coder productivity standards can be challenging if you don't know where to begin. There are many factors affecting productivity levels, from record type to the tools coders have available to them.
However, establishing fair standards for your coders is important, as is knowing whether your department is running efficiently.
HCPro conducted a detailed benchmarking survey earlier this year of HIM directors and managers nationwide to bring you the latest information on coder productivity levels and standards so you can compare your department to its peers.
