Home Health & Hospice Week

Don't risk HIPAA violations when you're trying to get help with your Medicare claims. You shouldn't submit any protected health information (PHI) for beneficiaries when contacting your HHH MAC via e-mail, reminds contractor National Government Services in a new post on its website. NGS can't accept e-mail inquiries that include beneficiary- or claim-specific information due to PHI Internet security policy requirements, it says. When sending a request, make sure it does not include Medicare numbers, Social Security Num-bers, personal/beneficiary medical information, and confidential information, NGS reminds providers. And don't think you're safe if you're using a MAC's online form. "This policy also applies to providers submitting inquiries via the Customer Care Online Inquiry Form and the Electronic Data Interchange Help Desk E-mail Inquiry Form on the National Government Services Web site," NGS cautions in the message.