Is EMR mandatory for dental practices? Many have posed the question, is the transition to Electronic Medical Records federally mandatory for dental practices, and if not, when will it be? According to the American Dental Association, for the majority of dental practices, there is currently no deadline to switch to EMRs. However this year, Medicare...
Author: Tyler Howard (Tyler Howard)
The Importance of Patient Engagement and Technology in Today’s Healthcare Market
Patient engagement has been a rapidly emerging movement and buzzword in the healthcare industry this year. There have been countless articles, blogs, studies, and educational forums dedicated to the topic. It has been labeled as the “the blockbuster drug of the century”. Some say, “The future of healthcare is being shaped largely by the patient...
The Transition to ICD-10
On October 1, 2015, the US government moved from the ICD-9 coding system to ICD-10, which is a coding standard already being used by many developed countries around the world. The change expands the number of codes from 20,000 to more than 155,000. Which is nearly eight times as many codes to describe why a...
Infection Control guidelines, who needs to follow what protocols?
Infection Control Healthcare-associated infections are a major, preventable, threat to patient safety and one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Approximately, 1 in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection. This adds up to $33 billion in excess medical costs every year. In efforts to increase infection control and...
Is spore testing for the sterilization of instruments federally mandated?
Yes, the proper sterilization of medical devices, surgical instruments, supplies and equipment utilized in patient care and surgery is a critical aspect of health care that directly impacts patient safety. Hospitals and Ambulatory Centers are required to be in compliance with the Federal requirements outlined in the Medicare Conditions of Participation to receive Medicare/Medicaid payment....
OIG ISSUES FRAUD ALERT WARNING
OIG ISSUES FRAUD ALERT WARNING OF ANTI-KICKBACK LIABILITY FORCERTAIN PHYSICIAN COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS On June 9, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) posted a new Fraud Alert to its website(http://oig.hhs.gov/compliance/alerts/guidance/Fraud_Alert_Physician_Compensation_06092015.pdf) cautioning physicians who enter into compensation arrangements, such as medical directorships, that such arrangements may violate the federal Anti-kickback statute if steps are not taken to ensure...
Does Your Employee Handbook Violate Their Rights?
On March 18, 2015, the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB) issued a report offering guidance for employers on drafting their employee policy and procedure handbook. The following article, “NLRB’s General Counsel Issues Guidance On Employee Handbook Provisions,” written by Shima Walker with the McLane Law Firm, and published in Monaq Business...
Are you too BIG or too SMALL to have a breach?
Regardless of whether or not you are a big company or a small company, you can still be subjected to a breach. Today’s hackers are professionals. Hackers have one thing in mind, “YOU”, not you as a person, but you, who has information that will benefit only “THEM”. Hackers are looking to gain access to...
Has your practice had a breach in 2014?
Has your practice reported its breach? 45CFR 164.408 requires all covered entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) to provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary with notice of breaches of unsecured protected health information. The number of affected individuals determines when the notification must be completed. Breaches of unsecured protected health information...
2015 State Minimum Wage Changes
Has the minimum wage increased in your state? The National Conference of State Legislatures has issued a publication listing the individual states that have increased their minimum wages in 2014 and 2015. As of January 1, 2015, 29 states and D.C. will have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage. Four states – Alaska, Arkansas,...