In early June, Congress released a bipartisan draft bill called the American Data Privacy and Protection Act. The goal of this bill is to create a regulation that organizations in any industry would need to accord with compliance. On the surface, this sounds great, but in reality, it is unrealistic.
Starting on October 6, the definition of electronic health information (EHI) will include “the entire scope of the EHI definition [i.e., ePHI that is or would be in a Designated Record Set (DRS)].”
Many case managers use remote patient monitoring (RPM) to ease the pinch of staffing shortages and help to prevent readmissions. But some are warning that the accessibility of those services may be threatened by one of numerous changes in the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule—a proposed 12% reimbursement reduction for RPM CPT® code 99454.
In recent years, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has taken aim at case managers and discharge planners who violated federal anti-kickback statutes—specifically those who took items or payments in exchange for post-acute referrals.
The 21st Century Cures Act fundamentally changes how patients can interact with their health information — and October 6 is a significant milestone for these changes.
In August, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement with New England Dermatology P.C., known as New England Dermatology and Laser Center, over the improper disposal of PHI, which is a potential HIPAA Privacy Rule violation.
Critical access hospitals (CAH) and rural health clinics (RHC) provide vital services to their communities, but even in the best of times they can face serious revenue challenges. Ensure these vital facilities are supported by correct, complete billing practices.
Although the inpatient-only list has evolved over the years it's remained a common source of easily avoidable denials. Brush up on the details of the requirement to improve compliance at your organization.
Because of the prevalence of eating disorders, coders should become familiar with their types, symptoms, codes, and relevant guidelines. They appear in ICD-10-CM under category F50 (eating disorders), but codes for individual symptoms appear throughout the manual.
