The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance on patient access fees with little fanfare last year but the guidance, intended to clarify existing OCR regulations, became a flashpoint for controversy. The guidance states that organizations may charge a patient either a flat fee of $6.50 or follow a specific methodology for calculating the cost of making a copy of requested patient records. Although some organizations found their fee schedules out of step with OCR’s guidance, the biggest problem came from an unexpected corner: attorneys.
Even though we are set to inaugurate a new president of the United States who vowed to abolish Obamacare, I believe that Donald J. Trump will not touch provisions that address perceived cost inefficiency or quality within our healthcare system. In fact, if you’ve read CMS’ game plan for transforming healthcare published in JAMA in 2014, note that many of these provisions began with George W. Bush and have been embraced by the AMA with the implementation of MACRA.
I always get invigorated after attending a good educational tradeshow. This past October’s AHIMA national conference provided a wonderful showcase of lectures, workshops, vendors, and events that seemed to have something for everyone.
Recently The Joint Commission implemented an initiative, Project REFRESH, to improve processes related to pre-survey, on-site survey, and post-survey activities. Simplification, enhanced relevancy to organizations, increased transparency within the accreditation process, and the utilization of innovative approaches and technology are the goals of Project REFRESH.
The implementation of ICD-10 in 2015 was considered an industrywide success. Coders were trained, HIM departments were prepared, and outsourced coding companies expanded their roles. As we enter the second year of ICD-10, what should HIM directors expect from their coding teams and outsourced vendor partnerships?
HIM and release of information (ROI) professionals shared challenges, triumphs, and insights on their ROI practices in HIM Briefings’ first quarterly benchmarking survey of 2017. We asked about ROI staffing, how respondents’ ROI practices were affected by the Office for Civil Rights’ controversial guidance on patient access fees, and the biggest ROI challenges of 2016.
The recent adoption of a refined version of the Patient Safety Indicator (PSI) 90 composite by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has a significant impact on what discharges are included in PSI 15 (Unrecognized Abdominopelvic Accidental Puncture Laceration Rate).
