Q. I recently tried to access my medical records through the hospital’s patient portal. I had a hard time logging in because it prompted me to enter codes sent to my phone several times. It was difficult to keep track of which code was the most recent. I feel like this was an unreasonable barrier. Usually, you’re given the choice to opt out of multifactor authentication or only have to enter one code along with your password. Do multiple authentication codes represent a significant barrier to patient access?
A patient came to our endoscopy suite for a bronchoscopy due to an abnormal chest X-ray. The physician documented that a transbronchial lung biopsy was obtained from the right upper lobe and the right lower lobe. What would be the correct CPT® codes to report?
CMS instructed Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) to review previously denied 2018 outpatient therapy claims reported with modifier -KX. However, because MACs might not automatically review all denied therapy claims, providers will need to initiate the process.
More than half (56%) of the respondents to Ponemon Institute’s Fifth Annual Data Breach Preparedness Study reported experiencing an organizationwide breach. Of these respondents, 51% reported that their organization’s data response plan is not very effective.
Q. My understanding is that HIPAA doesn’t mandate use of a specific security standard. Are we required to keep documentation explaining why we chose a particular security standard? I’ve also been told that we are required to encrypt data according to National Institute of Standards and Technology standards. Is this spelled out in the regulations?
Cardiac device credits came under scrutiny in an Office of Inspector General report that found all 210 hospitals audited failed to adjust claims to reflect certain cardiac device manufacturer credits, leading to $4.4 million in overpayments from CMS.
The pediatric population is at high risk for medication errors in the emergency department, with medication error rates three times higher in pediatric patients than in adult patients, according to a study in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
