CMS Meaningful Use Audits Begin; Stage 2 Rule Sent to OMB for Review HITECH Answers reports that CMS has begun audits of providers participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. With little fanfare and no official introduction of CMS’ chosen auditor, health care providers have...
HHS Partners with Private Sector to Combat Healthcare Fraud On Thursday, July 26, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new partnership between the public and private sectors to stomp out healthcare fraud. With HHS funding, federal, state and private...
The ACA SCOTUS Decision in Plain English As we all know from the “media drama” as some might call the countless media coverage, news articles, blogs and other posts, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) on June...
CMS Releases Additional Meaningful Use Guidance for EPs; Stage 3 Recommendations Underway CMS released last week a new comprehensive guide for eligible professionals (EPs) participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. The guide covers: Program basics, such as an explanation of...
CMS Releases New Meaningful Use FAQ for EPs using Hospital EHRs CMS released a new FAQ on June 27 to help clarify to what extent an eligible professional (EP) can use a hospital EHR to meet Meaningful Use objectives and measures. The FAQ makes it clear that an EP can use both a...
OCR Releases HIPAA Audit Protocol as Audits Continue Without pomp and circumstance, OCR made available its protocol for the HIPAA performance audits conducted pursuant to the HITECH audit requirement. The Audit Protocol covers the Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules,...
The .7 Million Flashdrive…Alaska Medicaid Settles HIPAA Violations Even state agencies are not invisible to the all-seeing eye of OCR. The use, and subsequent theft of, an unencrypted flashdrive cost the Alaska Medicaid agency $1.7 million, according to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR)...
HITECH Omnibus Rule Out by End of Summer HealthDataManagement reports that the HITECH “Omnibus Rule” is due to be released by the end of the summer, according to Farzad Mostashari, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology within the Office of the National Coordinator...
Mass. AG Levies 750k Judgment on Hospital for Data Breach Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced on May 24, 2012 having reached a settlement agreement with South Shore Hospital for failure to protect personal and confidential health information of over 800,000...
Are We Ready for the Nationwide Health Information Network? ONC Releases RFI for Governance of NwHIN Currently, more than 500 hospitals and over 4,000 practices and clinics participate in the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN). According to the Federal Health Architecture...
Legal and Practical Implications of Meaningful Use Attestation With over $4 billion paid out to eligible professionals (EPs) and hospitals under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs as of March 2012 according to CMS, many hospitals are gearing up for or have recently...
Public Comments for Meaningful Use Stage 2 NPRM Due May 7 The clock is ticking for interested parties to submit comments in response to the CMS and ONC Meaningful Use Stage 2 Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The deadline for submission of comments is 5pm on Monday, May 7. CMS...
CMS Updates Meaningful Use FAQs for Multiple Certified EHRs Coming a little too late for hospitals and eligible professionals who have already attested or begun to attest for 2012, CMS has kindly taken a step back on Meaningful Use requirements for accounting for unique patients in...
Yet Another Medicaid Breach; Emory Loses Back-up Discs This April appears to have been designated “National Breach” month. In what is the second massive breach of Medicaid data this month, over 200,000 South Carolina Medicaid beneficiaries have been notified of a breach of their health...
Meaningful Use EP Eligibility Appeals Extended to April 30, 2012 As a reminder to eligible professionals (EPs) participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, CMS has extended the deadline within which an EP may file an eligibility appeal to Monday, April 30, 2012. In general,...