Anesthesia Coding Alert

Start working now to ensure your privacy and security practices are on par.Every anesthesia practice is a potential target for a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) audit. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is conducting the full range of audits using revised protocol materials, through December 2012. Here's the latest on three common questions and how you can prepare for a potential audit. Which Physicians Will Be Audited?Technically, all covered entities and their business associates are eligible for a HIPAA audit. According to the HHS website, the "OCR will audit as wide a range of types and sizes of covered entities as possible; covered individual and organizational providers of health services, health plans of all sizes and functions, and health care clearinghouses may all be considered for an audit." Business associates will be included in future audits."The new program [...]