HIM Briefings

Test staff knowledge of HIPAA with these questions:

Meaningful use, ICD-10, Recovery Auditors, survey and more surveys-what next? Healthcare is never dull!

The question today for healthcare facilities isn't, "Does your facility use social media?" It's more like, "Who is using social media, for what purpose, and what are your hospital's policies and procedures around it?" It's good to have a strong social media policy and procedure in place for your organization, says Phyllis A. Patrick, MBA, FACHE, CHC, president of Phyllis A. Patrick & Associates, LLC, in Purchase, N.Y. She developed this accompanying checklist for those looking to beef up their policies on social media use in the hospital setting.

If your hospital doesn't plan to take advantage of government financial incentives for those who become "meaningful users" of EHRs, it is in the minority. According to HHS, 85% of hospitals plan to demonstrate meaningful use and earn incentives by 2015.

Starting in July, hospitals can risk their reimbursement under the Medicaid program for conditions that CMS deems as "reasonably preventable."

Use this quiz to test coding staff members.

Managing Recovery Auditor preparation, requests, ­denials, and appeals entails the work of many staff members across many departments.

A Boston resident is at a New York Yankees game in the Bronx cheering on his beloved Boston Red Sox. ­Despite his best efforts to catch a foul ball coming into the stands, he misses, and the ball bounces off his head. He's woozy, and ballpark officials suggest he get to a hospital for precautionary reasons.

Each year HCPro's Revenue Cycle ­Institute reports on the experience of providers related to the Recovery Audit Program. This article is adapted from the 2011 Recovery Auditor Benchmarking Report, released in early 2012 and includes additional comparisons of provider experiences since 2009.