Q: What type of protected health information (PHI) can be used for marketing? Are authorizations always necessary when using PHI for marketing purposes? If not, what are some situations when patient authorization would not be required?
CMS announced on November 25 that it is building on the flexibilities granted by the Hospitals Without Walls program to launch the Acute Hospital Care at Home program. Under this program, eligible hospitals will be allowed to treat certain inpatients in the patient’s home.
Q: During the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it has become abundantly clear that the burden from this disease has not been shared equally. Minorities have been disproportionately affected, and many of the problems are due to structural inequalities that existed long before the pandemic began. How can case managers address some of these underlying problems in hopes of improving health equality?
AspenPointe Inc., a Colorado-based mental health and behavioral healthcare provider, reported a breach on November 19 affecting 295,617 individuals, according to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) breach report.
CMS on November 20 released MLN Matters 12049, which clarifies the effective date and appropriate use of two new National Uniform Billing Committee (NUBC) condition codes.
Q: The 2021 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule requires providers to transmit all records to Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO) electronically. How can organizations make sure that they are in compliance if they’re not already?
CMS finalized the long-awaited Stark Law final rule on November 20. The final rule includes significant changes to exceptions to the law as well as expanded guidance and clarification.
Bruce L. Boros, MD, PA, DBA Advanced Urgent Care, a healthcare provider in Key West, Florida, on November 6 reported a security breach that affected 58,823 individuals, according the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) breach report.
