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Q: As sports leagues attempt to make their return, many are going to be using daily COVID-19 testing as part of their protocol. Obviously, the leagues need to quarantine any individual who tests positive for the virus. But why is the covered entity that is performing the testing allowed to disclose a patient’s test results to the leagues?

Q: How can case managers help patients, especially those dealing with chronic diseases such as diabetes, access care during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?

CMS’ latest round of updates to its novel coronavirus FAQs on Medicare fee-for-service billing provides additional information on hospital billing for remote services, including a decision tree guiding hospitals through their options for billing for telemedicine.

Walgreen Co., the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States, recently reported a breach that may have involved the protected health information (PHI) of more than 72,000 individuals, according to data in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) breach portal.

CMS released the calendar year (CY) 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) on August 3, introducing 39 new CPT codes, mainly for cardiovascular services. If finalized, the new codes will go into effect January 1, 2021.

Q: When would it be appropriate to report CPT® add-on code 90785 (interactive complexity)?

Q: I have read recently about the uptick in “vishing,” or voicemail messaging scams, targeting remote healthcare workers. What are your recommendations for protecting against this type of threat?

Q: Beginning in July, prior authorization is needed for certain hospital outpatient services such as blepharoplasty, botulinum toxin injections, panniculectomy, rhinoplasty, and vein ablation. Going forward, how should hospitals approach this change?

Facing the unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS released the 2021 OPPS proposed rule later than ever before, with the agency generally reinforcing its recent focus on site-neutral payment policies, lowering reimbursement for drugs purchased under the 340B program, and adding more services to the list of prior authorization. 

Lifespan Health System, a Rhode Island-based healthcare provider, agreed to pay $1.04 million to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and implement a corrective action plan to settle potential HIPAA violations, OCR announced on July 27.