Home Health & Hospice Week
HIPAA Problems Abound
Just because HIPAA breaches don't make the nightly news doesn't mean they aren't happening -- and in large numbers, a new report indicates. The HHS Office for Civil Rights received 207 reports of HIPAA breaches that involved 500 or more individuals during 2010, which resulted in about 5.4 million individuals being affected by large breaches, according to the new Annual Report to Congress on Breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information. The top five causes of incidents were theft, loss of electronic media or paper records containing protected health information (PHI), unauthorized access to use (or disclosure of) PHI, human error, and improper disposal. The largest reported theft affected 1.9 million individuals, and involved the theft of backup tapes that contained electronic medical records that were being transported to a vendor's site. Many of the additional breaches involved the theft of laptops (see related story, p. 264). Smaller breaches: More than 25,000 incidents of smaller breaches (each affecting fewer than 500 individuals) were reported to HHS in 2010, most of which involved misdirected communications -- for instance, a fax with PHI mistakenly sent to the wrong person, the report indicates. The report is at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/breachnotificationrule/breachrept.pdf.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Patient Privacy:
Focus On Portable Device Protection In Your HIPAA Compliance Plan
Home care providers face special privacy risks. With HIPAA enforcement looking to ramp up in [...] - Compliance:
Take These 6 Steps To Shore Up Your HIPAA Compliance
The majority of home care providers are out of compliance, experts believes. Smart home care [...] - HIPAA:
Remind Home Care Workers Of Facebook Rules
Employees have a right to use social media, but must protect identifiable patient information. Another [...] - Budget:
President Obama Proposes Home Health Copayment
Expect a fight to avoid a $100 copay for nonhospitalized patients. You may find a [...] - Enrollment:
Your PECOS Edit Concerns May Be Over
At the very least, claims rejections from PECOS edits should be greatly reduced when they [...] - Industry Note:
RAC Audits Will Impact Medicaid Claims Jan. 1, CMS Says
Delays have given you more time to prepare. You've benefited from several delays to Medicaid [...] - Industry Note:
Medicare Requires Electronic Funds Transfer With Revali-dation
If you still receive Medicare payments via paper, don't expect that to last long. "Existing [...] - Industry Note:
Understand This Therapy Reassessment Loophole
You'll be off the hook for a therapy patient's 30-day reassessment if the patient is [...] - Industry Note:
HIPAA Problems Abound
Just because HIPAA breaches don't make the nightly news doesn't mean they aren't happening -- and [...] - Industry Note:
Expect To Serve More Managed Care Patients
Don't be surprised to see more Medicare Advantage managed care patients on your rolls in [...] - Industry Note:
Overpayment Logging Delays Creates Confusion
Don't freak out if you get a second overpayment letter from HHH MAC subcontractor National [...] - Industry Note:
Keep An Eye On 2012 Vaccination Pay Rate
With flu season nearly upon you, it may be time to brush up on your [...] - Industry Note:
CMS Pushes Back First Payment Bundling Deadline
Introducing bundling across provider types for Medicare payments may take a bit longer than CMS [...] - Industry Note:
Authorities Pound Medicaid Providers On Fraud
Authorities continue to pound Medicaid home care providers with the anti-fraud hammer. In Virginia, a [...] - Industry Note:
Beware Falls Problems For Patients With Poor Eyesight
You should consider putting your patients who have diminished eyesight on the watch list for [...]
