Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates

Physician Office OSHA Standards Present a Number of Compliance Challenges

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(July 2, 2014): The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the United Stated Department of Labor. Its purpose is assure safe and healthy working conditions for all working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing education, training, outreach, and assistance. OSHA creates standards and guidelines that apply […]

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Texas H.B.300 Imposes a Number of New Medical Privacy Requirements

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(June 30, 2014): The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) work in conjunction to safeguard the privacy of patient health information. Concerned that HIPAA and HITECH did not provide enough safeguards for protected health information (PHI), the Texas legislature passed the Texas

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Miscoded Evaluation and Management Services Cost Medicare $6.7 Billion

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(June 25, 2014) Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently examined medical records from 2010 for claims related to evaluation and management services (E/M services). The results are astounding. OIG determined that Medicare inappropriately paid $6.7 BILLION for E/M services that year due to claims that were

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Consequences of HIPAA Non-Compliance

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(June 16, 2014): It has been over a year since the effective date of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) comprehensive modifications to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security, Enforcement and Breach Notification Rules, commonly referred to as the Omnibus Rule. Covered entities were

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HIPAA Encryption is the Best Way to Avoid a Violation

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(May 29, 2014): On April 22, 2014, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR) announced that it had entered into resolution agreements with two entities for $1,725,220 and $250,000, respectively, to resolve potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules. The main

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Texas Providers Are Required by Law to Have a Medicaid Compliance Program

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(February 21, 2014): If you are a participating provider in the Texas Medicaid program, do you have a Medicaid compliance program in place for your practice? If the answer to this question is “no” – or, more worrisome, if you are asking, “What is an effective compliance program?” – you are violating the terms of

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CMS and Contractors Must Address EHR Fraud Vulnerabilities

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(February 7, 2014): A new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finds that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractors have adopted few Medicare program integrity practices to address electronic health record (EHR) fraud vulnerabilities. These EHR fraud vulnerabilities include

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EHR Cloning Practices Can Lead to Medicare Audits

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(December 26, 2013): The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has long viewed the adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) as a way to better coordinate care, improve the quality of care, reduce unnecessary paperwork, and eliminate duplicative medical testing. Based, at least in part, on these beliefs, Congress authorized incentive payments to encourage

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Improper Medicare Payments Are Still Being Made for Deceased Beneficiaries

Medicare, Medicaid & Private Payor Updates /

(November 20, 2013): While most health care providers and suppliers are diligent in their efforts to ensure that Medicare services are submitted appropriately, mistakes and other improper billings still take place. Two areas of continuing concern involve providers and / or suppliers who submit fraudulent claims to Medicare seeking reimbursement on behalf of deceased beneficiaries

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