What if one of your friends asks you questions about your current job duties, and what it is your organization does. What information would you share? Should you only be concerned with HIPAA obligations? Safeguarding Confidential Information is not just a HIPAA Obligation Throughout your career you may be asked questions about your job duties...
This article written by MedSafe Billing and Coding Specialist, Mike Enos. In this coding tip, we will review a few modifiers that specify which portion of the surgical package the provider is billing for. The global surgical package includes payment for services that are a necessary part of a procedure. For example, the global package includes not just payment...
This article was written by Karen Pass, Senior Compliance Specialist with MedSafe. There are many important elements to implementing an effective HIPAA Program, but none are more important than completing a security risk analysis. Conducting a risk analysis will give your practice an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the...
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there are approximately 800,000 needlestick injuries each year, and more than 1,000 health care workers contract serious infections from these incidents. Nearly two-thirds of nurses report being accidentally stuck at some time in their career. Bloodborne pathogens spread through needlestick accidents include HIV, hepatitis, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis,...
In an alarming new trend, people are seeking treatment for dental problems, such as toothaches, tooth abscesses and other dental problems in emergency rooms, and the numbers are rising, a new study from the Pew Center reveals. In 2009, emergency rooms received 830,590 visits nationwide for dental conditions – a 16 percent increase from 2006....
Last week’s blog outlined what to expect when OSHA visits, from the knock on the door to the initial meetings, and ending with the documentation you will need to provide. This week’s blog continues with the onsite visit. After having gathered the requested documentation, the inspector will tour your worksite to observe working conditions. Someone who is...
There are few words in the English language that evoke such bone-chilling, stomach-churning fear as the five-letter, two-syllable word “audit.” Even the most law-abiding, receipt-hoarding, fastidious, record-keeping number cruncher trembles when, upon opening the envelope, he stares fixedly on the most ominous of words. It is usually the IRS that elicits such visions of impending...
With confusion surrounding some of the HIPAA Rules, this short quiz may help you understand some finer points. If you missed last week’s quiz, click here for Part I. Then take this week’s quiz to see how you fare. Q. While at a neighborhood cookout, a receptionist at a health care practice mentions to a friend that she...
Employees Texting While Driving, a Serious OSHA Workplace Safety Hazard OSHA is calling on all employers to their employees safe by implementing internal policies that will prevent worker-related distracted driving, especially from texting while driving. Studies have shown that year after year, the leading cause of worker-related injuries and fatalities occur because of motor vehicle...
As a follow up to my previous blog on whether hospital-based physicians need HIPAA programs (such as pathologists, anesthesiologists and radiologists), we are hearing about a major breach of medical records regarding a pathology billing company in the Boston area. According to an article posted by PHIPrivacy.net, it appears the billing company, Goldthwaite Associates of...
