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Clinical audits and denials impact 3% or more of NPR being held in reserve November 2, 2022 HFMAClinically avoidable denials continue to impact revenue, slow cashflow and increase bad debt, yet CFOs have limited insight into why these denials occur and how to avoid...

Keeping Reproductive Patient Records Protected and Private October 28, 2022 Health IT AnswersGiven recent guidance from the OCR, now is the time for HI professionals to hold internal discussions, revisit policies, refresh education, and build checklists to ensure the...

Data Liberation Day Elevates New Call for Health Information Expertise October 27, 2022 Health IT AnswerAttendees at the AHIMA22 Global Conference demonstrated their steadfast commitment to liberating, managing and protecting electronic patient information (EPI). Just...

Lessons learned from 11 right of access violations September 12, 2022 Revenue Cycle AdvisorCovered entities and business associates still have trouble getting patients their medical records in a timely fashion.

Continuing the Interoperability Journey - Three New Opportunities for HIM August 2, 2022 Journal of AHIMAHealthcare interoperability is a team sport, and information technology (IT) professionals aren’t the only players in the game. Professionals with heath...

Compliance with new patient right of access rule: Five things to know July 1, 2022 Compliance TodayDisruption is the new normal. As a global civilization dealing with a worldwide pandemic, we’ve adapted to shifting guidelines, researched dubious news proclamations,...

Interoperability: Best Practices in Patient Amendments to Protected Health Information June 6, 2022 Journal of AHIMASince April 2003, patients have had the right to request amendments to protected health information (PHI) contained within the designated record...

Internal Audits Help Combat Payer Risk May 26, 2022 For The RecordFor a smooth-running revenue cycle, tap into the immense powers of this best practice tool. Wonder Woman has a golden lasso. Captain America has an impenetrable shield. Thor has a lightning hammer. Just...

3 Strategies for Virtual HIM Departments: From Reaction to Reality May 16, 2022 Journal of AHIMAOver the past two years, hospital departments, including health information management (HIM) departments, have been forced to restructure their operations using remote or...

The Patient Right of Access Rule and a Look at Enforcement Actions April 7, 2022 Healthcare IT TodayNew government regulations never stop in healthcare.  It’s just the nature of the business and that’s unlikely to change.  However, the reality of this is that some...

Revenue Integrity: How to Reduce Costs and Retain Revenue April 4, 2022 Journal of AHIMAAs the world prepares to navigate year three of COVID-19, the impact of the pandemic continues to touch every facet of healthcare. For health information (HI) professionals,...

Patient Right of Access and the Path to Compliance January 21, 2022 For The RecordHIM professionals play an increasingly critical role in privacy and security, release of information (ROI), protected health information (PHI), disclosure management, interoperability,...

What Does it Mean to be #CyberSmart? October 6, 2021 Health IT AnswersCyber safety begins with good cyber hygiene. All internet-connected devices are possible entry points for a cybercriminal. And the need for diligence increases exponentially as the volume of...

When the Police Come Knocking October, 2021 For The Recordby Selena Chavis  For many years, the health care industry has been well versed in the parameters of sharing protected health information (PHI) with law enforcement. But even with the best training, HIM...

Patient Access and the Path to Compliance August 18, 2021 Compliance CosmosThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule generally requires HIPAA covered entities—health plans and most healthcare providers—to provide individuals, upon...

Preparing for HIPAA Changes in IT, HIM, Compliance and Privacy May 28, 2021 HIMSS TVRita Bowen, vice president of privacy, compliance and HIM policy at MRO, a clinical data workflow solutions company, discusses how proposed new rules can impact healthcare provider...

Enterprise-wide PHI Disclosure Management: What Risk Managers Need to Know May 26, 2021 Journal of Health Care ComplianceManaging demands for secure disclosure of protected health information (PHI) has become more complex as each department within a health care...

Building New Policies and Procedures to Incorporate Telehealth May 12, 2021 Journal of AHIMA Over the past year, telehealth has expanded through support from federal and state measures intended to increase access during the pandemic. In February 2021, a bipartisan...

Bracing for potential records request change in the Privacy Rule May 1, 2021 Briefings on HIPAA Covered entities (CEs) that have flirted with the 30-day mark for response time with patient requests for access to or copies of their protected health information (PHI)...

Leading a Release of Information Business During Extraordinary Times March 17, 2021 Journal of AHIMA When the impact of the pandemic upended the status quo in March 2020, health systems and organizations needed to completely change their operations and adopt a remote...

Could HIPAA Changes Weaken Patient Privacy? March 9, 2021 Healthcare Info SecurityProposed changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule could weaken patient data privacy protections, say Rita Bowen and Zachary Perry of the Association of Health Information Outsourcing Services....

How to Implement and Support a Virtual Front Desk March 3, 2021 Journal of AHIMAMore than a year since the outbreak of COVID-19, virtual walk-up windows for patient and family record requests have become the new normal. Fifty percent of traditional health information...

Understanding the Eight Exceptions to Information Blocking February 25, 2021 Journal of AHIMA​The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT’s information blocking final rule, part of the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act), goes into effect April 5, 2021....

HIPAA Challenges: Keep Pace With Disclosure Management Changes February 10, 2021 For The Record Magazine​Amid the pandemic and pressure to comply with new rules and regulations, hospitals and health systems are faced with unprecedented challenges. As a result, HIM...