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Recent Posts Tagged With 'compliance'
Bloggity Blog - The New IT Standards Blog!
The HIT Standards Committee met on October 29, 2009 and formed an "Implementation Workgroup" which is charged with bringing forward “real-world” implementation experience to the HIT Standards Committee recommendations. The...
Home Health and DME hit the “most wanted” list in the Senate Finance Committee Bill
Home Health and Durable Medical Equipment (“DME”) can’t seem to get out of the spotlight and who can blame the government for scrutiny. Back in the day when Home Health charged on a “per visit” basis, we saw indepen...
Senate Finance Committee Requests Answers From 3M Regarding Software Complaints
In response to compliants from medical practitioners, patients, and technology engineers that Health Information Technology (HIT) and Computer Physician Order Entry Systems (CPOE) software programs are often faulty and that the manufac...
OIG Reports on Pandemic Flu and Medical Surge
Are we ready for the impending flu season? What about an influenza pandemic? The OIG recently released a duo of reports addressing preparedness for an influenza pandemic. In one of the reports, the OIG examined t...
What are your EMTALA obligations during a pandemic?
Flu season is coming and concerns over an H1N1 resurgence are rising. To make sure hospitals understand their obligations under EMTALA during a disaster or a pandemic, CMS issued, on August 14, 2009, a Survey and Certification Letter. ...
Picking the right code—is it as easy as it appears?
Coders learn early on “to assign procedural codes based on the documentation noted in the medical record.” Sound easy? read more...
Join MediRegs on LinkedIn or Twitter
Did you know that MediRegs has a User Group on LinkedIn? Did you know that you can follow MediRegs on Twitter? Check these great resources out and join us today!...
OIG Report on Qualifications of Nonphysicians Performing "Incident To" Services
In a report issued on August 5, 2009, the OIG examined days that Medicare allows more than 24 hours of services billed by a single physician and sought to identify the services physicians bill to Medicare but do not perform personally and the qu...
Sebelius Delegates HIPAA Security Authority to the OCR
In a notice published in the Federal Register on August 4, 2009, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services delegated authority to the Director of the Office of Civil Rights over the HIPAA Security rules. With t...
State Privacy Regulation and EMR's
The July issue of Management Science contains a study that "quantifies the effect of state privacy regulation on the diffusion of electronic medical records." The study, by Amalia Miller, Department of Economics, University of Virginia and ...
Crowding In Hospital Emergency Departments Continues To Occur
Emergency department crowding continues to occur in hospital emergency departments, and some patients wait longer than the recommended time frames, according to a recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). read more...
DHHS and DOJ Turn on the HEAT
On May 20, 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the creation of a new interagency effort, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), to combat Medicare fraud....
OIG Report on Hospital Compliance with Postacute Care Transfer Policy
Medicare's postacute care transfer policy pays full DRG payments to hospitals for patients discharged to home. Medicare pays hospitals that transfer patients to postacute care settings (e.g., skilled nursing, home health care) a per diem r...
Ingenix at Root of another Reimbursement Fraud Case
On February 17, 2009, WellPoint Inc. read more...
HIPAA and the Stimulus Bill
By now you've probably heard the rumblings surrounding HIPAA and the new Stimulus Bill signed by President Obama on February 17, 2010. If not, the effect the bill is going to have on business associates and covered entities is extensive. ...
CMS, Congress To Ramp Up Quality Enforcement In 2009
CMS and Congress will be focusing more on regulatory compliance matters in 2009 than they have in years, according to Brian Flood, managing director at KPMG. "You have a lot of activity going on in the next six months," he said during a rec...
Obama administration review may delay pending regulations
One of the first actions of the new Obama administration was to issue an order to undertake a legal and policy review of all regulations issued by the executive that have not yet gone into effect. The review may push back the effective dates of sever...
Revised Disclosure of Financial Relationships Report Form Submitted to OMB
On December 12, 2008, CMS published notice in the Federal Register that it had submitted a revised Disclosure of Financial Relationships Report ("DFRR") audit form to the Office of Management and Budget for review ("OMB"). &n...
FTC Official Explains Identity Theft Red Flag Rule
The “Identity Theft Red Flag Rules” (Rules) impose mandatory compliance with the regulations that require financial institutions or creditors to establish (1) protocols on discrepancies between an address requested in a consumer report an...
OIG Permits Prescription Drug Proposal
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) would not impose sanctions related to a proposed arrangement that would allow a charitable organization to provide financial assistance to cover cost-sharing obligations associated with outpatient drug treatment ...
Six Financial Arrangements Successfully Pass OIG Scrutiny
In six recently released advisory opinions, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) gave clearance to several programs and financial arrangements, finding that sufficient safeguards had been put in place to prevent violations of the Social Security Act...
False Statement Within Claim Does Not Result In Liability Under FCA
Effect of Untrue Certification of Compliance in Annual Cost Report A provider's certification of compliance with Medicare statutes and regulations as stated in an annual cost report does not render all claims submitted for reimbursement by that provi...
Necessary Documentation for E/M Codes
The Health Care Compliance Association recently hosted a webinar related to coding evaluation and management (E/M) services provided in an outpatient facility. read more...
FTC Delays Identity Theft Prevention Program Compliance Deadline
New Red Flag Compliance Deadline - May 1, 2009! Just this afternoon, the FTC announced that it would delay the deadline to comply with the new Red Flag Rules from November 1, 2008 to May 1, 2009. The delay is to due to the confusion and uncerta...
Profit/Nonprofit Hospitals Provide Similar Charity Care
IRS Authority to Question Nonprofit Hospitals About Charity Care “We don’t see much of a difference between nonprofit hospitals and for-profit hospitals,” said Theresa Pattara, a staff member of the office of Senate Finance Committe...
FTC Red Flag Rules Alert!
MediRegs Resources on the FTC Red Flag Rules New rules take effect November 1, 2008 that may require health care providers to develop and implement a written identity theft prevention program. Health care providers can be "creditors&q...
CMS announces new recovery audit contractors
On October 6, 2008, CMS announced the names of the new national recovery audit contractors (RACs). The new RACs are: Diversified Collection Services, Inc. of Livermore, California, in Region A, initially working in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermon...
Attention District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania LCD users…..MAC J12 Part A LCD’s are here!!
Attention District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania LCD users…..MAC J12 Part A LCD’s have been posted on the MediRegs Regulation and Reimbursement Suite site as of today (10/03/08). Please see your state library or the ...
MAC J12 Part A LCDs added to Regulation and Reimbursement Suite
Attention District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania LCD users…..MAC J12 Part A LCD’s are here!! Attention District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania LCD users…..MAC J12 Part A LCD’s have be...
