The Compliance Insider 

CMS wants to remind eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) of the key registration dates for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, and provide... Read More

The CDC recently released guidelines for preventing and controlling norovirus in healthcare settings. Norovirus has been increasing in both healthcare and non-healthcare settings for the past few years, but... Read More

Stanford (CA) Hospital & Clinics (SHC) reported on its website on October 3 that it found a vendor's electronic file that included certain patient information on a student homework website and removed it the... Read More

There have been numerous questions regarding deceased individuals and their rights to their protected health information. The following will answer those questions. Q. Is a power of attorney still effective after... Read More

Q: I am a dentist and currently use a lab coat laundry service. The cost, however, is quite high. I would like to consider doing it myself at home. Assuming that I am washing them separately, using hot water,... Read More

The HIPAA 5010 compliance date is fast approaching. There are only 100 days left until full implementation on Jan. 1, 2012. As of this date, version 5010 will be required for all HIPAA standard transactions. This... Read More

The Medicare EHR Incentive Program will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and CAHs that demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. Participation can begin as... Read More

Q. An outpatient physical therapy clinic verifies a patient's benefits prior to his or her first visit. When the patient arrives, the front desk staff reviews the patient's insurance benefits and out-of-pocket costs.... Read More

Why is it important to ensure HIPAA and Medicare fraud training and auditing in your practice? Here is a good example of what can happen: Matthew Paul Brown, 30, formerly of Atlanta, Georgia and... Read More

Talking about violence in the workplace can be an uncomfortable process. But it is also unavoidable if you want to do all you can to eliminate the threat of violence from your practice. Why not approach employee... Read More