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News and real-life examples to increase the effectiveness of your compliance program. Strategies for Health Care Compliance will be your guide for avoiding fraud and maintaining compliance.

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Strategies for Health Care Compliance

Issue 6, June 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Tighten your HIPAA belts

  Editor's note: This article originally ran in our sister publication, Medical Records Briefing.

• Eleven security tips to help safeguard PHI

  Many healthcare organizations face the challenge of protecting patient records and reducing the...

• Lost documents, portable devices often to blame

  Add another piece of evidence to the pile that shows data breaches in healthcare organizations are...

• HIPAA Q&A

  by Mary D. Brandt, MBA, RHIA, CHE, CHPS

Issue 5, May 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Lessons learned from the Canadian ICD-10 experience

  Will ICD-10-CM/PCS wreak havoc on coding productivity?

• ICD-10-PCS introduces procedure guidelines and coder confusion

  Currently we only have a little advice when it comes to coding procedures using ICD-9-CM Volume 3...

• Sloppy EHR data signals need for standards

  Motivated by improved efficiencies and monetary incentives, healthcare is migrating to EHRs. While...

• Coding issues land life-saving physician behind bars

  It was not unusual for John Natale, MD, to work from early in the morning to late at night at his...

• HCPro's 2013 Recovery Auditor Benchmarking Report

  This year's Recovery Auditor Benchmarking ­Report surveyed 325 respondents, representing both...

• Public storage units, posting patient info, PHI disclosures

  Q. Can paper patient records be kept in a public storage unit? The storage company we are...

Issue 4, April 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• HIPAA mega rule breakdown and analysis

  HHS released its biggest set of modifications to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules with the...

• Emerging technologies create risks for patient data

  For the last three years, the Ponemon Institute has taken the pulse of the healthcare industry and...

• What you can do with the results of the latest benchmark study

  Although the results of the Ponemon Institute's Third ­Annual Benchmark Study on Patient...

• OIG roundup: Medical necessity, home health fraud, and pharmacy fraud

  St. Joseph's Medical Center in Towson, Md., reached a settlement with the United States to pay $4.9...

• Clarifying the Recovery Auditor-related provisions in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012

  There has been some confusion surrounding a possible Recovery Auditor-related provision in the...

Issue 3, March 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Are you ready for Recovery Auditor prepayment reviews?

  After a six-month delay, the Recovery Auditor prepayment review demonstration program began in...

• 'Immediate jeopardy' fines for 10 California hospitals

  Various departures from safe practice resulted in the four patient deaths and "immediate...

• Joint Commission: Looking back at 2012 and forward to 2013

  How quickly time flies! As 2012 has now come to an end, it seems to be a good time to reflect on...

• OIG roundup: Medicare fraud schemes across the country

  A former clinical director for Biscayne Milieu, a Miami-based mental health clinic, was sentenced...

• CMS issues ICD-10 transition tips and timeline

  On September 5, CMS issued in the Federal Register the final rule that officially extends the...

• HIPAA Q&A: Patient preference, incidental disclosures, and email blasts

  by Chris Apgar, CISSP

Issue 2, February 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS releases fiscal year-end improper payment figures for Recovery Auditors

  Recovery Auditor overpayment and underpayment statistics are released by CMS at the close of each...

• 'Last shot' for embattled Exeter Hospital

  It may be the third and last strike for Exeter Hospital.

• Health information privacy resolution agreements

  These case examples show how covered entities can effectively comply with the requirements of the...

• CDI program analysis: An overview

  Clinical documentation improvement (CDI) programs aim to ensure complete documentation with clear...

• OIG roundup: Improper billing and healthcare fraud penalties

  Law enforcement officials in Texas, Florida, and New York recently announced plea agreements...

• Security cameras, UB-04 forms, unreviewed test results

  This HIPAA Q&A covers security cameras, UB-04 forms, and  unreviewed test results.

• Monitor documentation for accurate LOS estimate

  Ensuring detailed documentation isn't important only with respect to documenting medical necessity...

Issue 1, January 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Appropriate response when staff acknowledge mistakes helps ensure patient safety

  You're reviewing a case file and discover that a ­patient's recent readmission is due to a...

• Recovery Auditors face mounting criticism, scrutiny

  Soon after legislation aimed at improving the performance of Medicare audit programs was...

• An inside look at how one hospital is preparing

  One thing is certain: You don't want to wait until you receive a notification letter from OCR...

• Six approaches to effective risk management

  There are six generic approaches to managing risk, and the approach an organization chooses to use...

• Five tips to help ensure patient privacy

  Despite efforts to prevent data breaches in healthcare, they continue to cause alarm. Almost 20...

• 2012 Strategies for Health Care Compliance index

  2012 Strategies for Health Care Compliance index