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There are just three weeks left to submit your application for HCPro's call for speakers for the 2017 Revenue Integrity Symposium, to be held October 23–24, 2017, in Nashville, Tennessee. Complete your application now for a chance to join us at the podium.

Q: Is it a HIPAA violation to list the names of individuals who make donations in memory of a deceased patient as well as the names of those memorialized? And, if so, can this be remedied by adding language to our Notice of Privacy Practices advising that this practice will occur unless the patient objects?

Providers may share information with a patient’s loved ones, regardless of whether they are recognized as relatives under applicable laws, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said in updated HIPAA guidance released January 10. OCR also issued a FAQ explaining that disclosures to a loved one who is not married to the patient or otherwise recognized as a relative are generally permissible under the same the conditions and circumstances as disclosures to a spouse or other relative.

See what stories Case Management Monthly covered in 2016.

Pat, a nurse case manager, had noticed an increase in the number of uninsured patients at the hospital where she worked. She didn’t know why the past few months had seen so many uninsured come through the doors, but she wondered whether it had to do with her state’s healthcare reform.

Having performed discharge planning for many, many years, I’ve learned one key component is now more true than ever: Assessments must be very comprehensive. We are dealing with a wider variety and different mix of patients. For example, we are seeing an older population that is living longer, often with dementia. These are patients with multiple comorbidities who are living on a limited income. We also are dealing with a larger group of patients—again, with multiple comorbidities—who are living longer due to medical advances and require costly medications and repeated readmissions for complications or procedures. Additionally, we care for the homeless, who are often riddled with mental health or drug addiction problems as well as comorbidities.

Q: OCR has said that the comprehensive HIPAA audits will occur in 2017. We received a pre-audit letter as a CE but were not audited as part of the CE round of phase two desk audits. What is included in the comprehensive audits, and is there a chance we will be audited?

This week’s Medicare updates include additional guidance on the MOON form, an NCA for leadless pacemakers, delayed implementation of the (ESRD) Interim Final Rule – Third Party Payment, and more!

The 2017 OIG Work Plan is out, and there are a few areas that may affect case management, particularly with regard to the 2-midnight rule, skilled nursing facilities, ambulance services, and home health agencies. Regardless of the changes in each year’s Work Plan, the document as a whole should remind case managers that they need to comply with the rules.