Q: Can an ICD-10-CM body mass index (BMI) code be used as a standalone code? If not, what documentation should we look for to justify the use of a BMI code?
Q: I am an acupuncturist and have a patient who owes me $100. I contacted the patient about the missing payment but received no response. Would it be a HIPAA violation to get in touch with the patient’s emergency contact person about the missing payment? Or should I go to a debt collector?
HHS Office for Civil Rights has issued a request for information seeking input from the public on how the HIPAA Privacy Rule could be modified to meet HHS’s goal of promoting coordinated, value-based care.
A proposed rule that would expand the use of prior authorization and step therapy for Part D and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries has earned criticism from patient advocacy groups and praise from pharmacy groups.
Q: I am still not sure whether I need RNs or social workers or both as case managers. Is there any evidence to help me make a decision? I want everyone to be effective, work together well, and be respected as a service.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found that using population health data could help identify patients with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease who have not been previously identified as high risk due to lack of relevant cholesterol data.
Q: If a patient participating in a clinical trial is allergic to one of the drugs used in the trial, how do we report the drug that is used as a substitute?
Advanced Care Hospitalists PL in Lakeland, Florida, has agreed to pay $500,000 and undergo a corrective action plan in a settlement with the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for its alleged violations of HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules.
Q: My hospital's marketing team is becoming ambitious on social media lately. They like images, of course. What should we know about posting images of patients in social circles as it relates to HIPAA?
