HIM Briefings

It has been quite a year in the privacy world, hasn't it? The OCR website has reported 500 breaches of unsecured PHI affecting 500 or more individuals, totaling more than 12 million patients. There has been an increase in HIPAA-related criminal sentences involving jail time. And private lives are no longer private.

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) wants improved and unified health information governance to standardize EHR use. AHIMA says the move will lead to technology that provides better, more efficient patient care.

There's a popular saying that states, "Too much of a good thing can be bad for you." I believe that's never been truer than now when it comes to EMR documentation.

As an HIM professional, you have long managed the quality and integrity of the health record. You know all components inside and out, aid in the design of forms to accurately and completely capture the necessary information, and point out ­potential data discrepancies in the record prior to finalization.

It's December, the end of a long 2012 for you and your HIM staff. Whether you have 50 coders or five, you may be putting the final touches on an end-of-the-year celebration.

With the compliance date for ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation finally set in stone, all that's left to do is plan, plan, and execute plans. To help you, we asked Deborah Grider, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPMA, CEMC, COBGC, CPCD, CCS-P, CDIP, senior manager at Blue and Company in Indianapolis, an industry expert on ICD-10, for preparation tips and action steps for ICD-10 implementation.

Our experts answer your HIPAA questions related to sheriff requests for PHI, ­encrypted email, and holiday cards.

The monetary reward offered through the second stage of the Medicare and Medicaid incentive program shouldn't be the only reason HIM professionals embrace the concept of being "meaningful users" of certified EHR technology (CEHRT).