Electronic Health Care
Reviewing Procedures for Breach of PHI
Despite clear compliance plans, annual training, and limiting access, there is still a chance your practice could experience a breach of protected health information (“PHI”). A “breach” means the use or disclosure of unprotected information that is not permitted by HIPAA and compromises the security and/or privacy of the PHI. Most practices allocate considerable resources… Read More »
E-Prescribing Deadline Reminder
June 30, 2012 is the deadline for physicians to report on at least 10 electronic scripts in order to avoid the 2013 Medicare e-prescribing program penalty. Physicians who are not able to meet the requirements of the program should apply for a hardship exemption applicable to their specific situation before the June 30, 2012 deadline…. Read More »
Stage 2 Proposed Rules Published
CMS has published a proposed rule providing standards and guidance for Stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program (the “Program”). The CMS proposed rule explains the requirements that eligible professionals and hospitals must meet to qualify for meaningful use incentive payments under the Program. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health… Read More »
Effective Use of QR Codes in Medical Practice
Quick response (“QR”) codes may be an effective way for physicians to market themselves to potential and existing clients. QR codes are barcode-like images that can store up to fourteen different types of data, including web links and phone numbers. These images may be placed on nearly anything from advertisements to business cards, and will… Read More »
4 Meaningful Use Tips for Physicians
The concept of meaningful use is key to earning federal electronic health records (“EHR”) incentives. The following are four tips to keep in mind when working towards meeting meaningful use criteria: 1. Track Progress. Many meaningful use measures establish a threshold that must be reached. Use “to do” lists and progress charts to track progress… Read More »
Stop and Think Before Using Groupon to Promote Physician Services
The internet has vastly improved our ability to find great bargains. Many people subscribe to sites like Groupon, Living Social, and others that offer discount goods and services. Over the past several years, there has been a notable rise in the number of promotions related to cosmetic services and products. Is this a good thing… Read More »
E-Prescribing Significant Hardship Exemption Deadline is November 1
Just a reminder that the deadline for requesting significant hardship exemptions under the Medicare electronic prescribing (“eRx”) incentive program is November 1, 2011. Starting in 2012, eligible professionals who are not successful electronic prescribers under the eRx incentive program will be subject to a payment adjustment. The final rule incorporates four additional hardship exemptions for… Read More »
Proposed Rule Gives Physicians a Break on Requirement to Electronically Submit Quality Measures
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave physicians a break (albeit brief) its recent proposed rule on meaningful use reporting requirements for electronic health records (EHRs). The proposed rule would permit eligible providers to continue to report certified EHR clinical quality measure results by attestation through 2012. Absent the proposed rule’s enactment, EPs… Read More »
Reminder to Physicians: Meaningful Use Checks are Arriving
On May 19, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) mailed the first checks for the Medicare incentive program to physicians who had attested that they had achieved meaningful use of their electronic health records (EHRs). EHR incentive payments are also available to eligible professionals from state Medicaid programs. However, the Medicaid program has… Read More »
Physicians: Exercise Caution When Using Social Media
When a physician accesses social media – whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or another social media site – it is very important to be honest, respect privacy, and uphold the reputation of the medical profession. It is also important to seriously consider separating one’s professional use of social media from one’s personal use. Physicians… Read More »
