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Compliance & Regulatory
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Regulatory Brief: Proposed Rule to Support Reproductive Health Privacy (April 2023)
If you have any questions or would like to better understand what this means for your organization, reach us at compliance@verisma.com.
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In the News
September 27, 2023
Many hospitals have no automation to manage denials
RevCycle Intelligence | Sixty-two percent of hospital finance and revenue cycle leaders surveyed by health technology company AKASA said they don’t automate denials management, while 38% said they have implemented some automation for denials. Forty-four percent of respondents said they would automate some aspect of denials management this year and 32% said they would next year, but 24% said they do not have any plans to automate denials.
September 27, 2023
Shutdown would disrupt but not halt federal health programs
KFF Health News | A shutdown of the federal government would not immediately affect health programs with mandatory spending, including Medicare and Medicaid, but programs funded through discretionary spending at the NIH, CDC and community health centers, as well as HIV/AIDS initiatives, may be disrupted. Federal staffers considered nonessential would be furloughed, including around 42% of HHS staff, which could disrupt initial Medicare enrollments and the Medicaid renewal process.
September 14, 2023
Immediate access to diagnostic test results problematic for some
Becker’s Hospital Review | Since a 21st Century Cures Act requirement took effect mandating that patients have immediate access to their own diagnostic test results, some patients have misinterpreted the results or received them at inopportune times. Oncologist David Gerber says that patients have received cancer diagnoses during business meetings, and one patient’s spouse who misread CT scan results ended up in an emergency department with an anxiety attack. However, most EHRs don’t have an option to delay receipt of diagnostic test results.
July 28, 2023
Hospital Price Transparency Rule Sees Only 36% of Hospitals in Compliance
Revenue Cycle Intelligence | Two and a half years in, most hospitals are still seemingly ignoring the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule, with only 36 percent of facilities fully complying. PatientRightsAdvocate.org’s latest review shows that only 721 hospitals are complying with the rule, while a staggering 1,279, or 64 percent, are not complying.
July 27, 2023
Hospital Operators Collaborate on Standard Approach for Measuring Suppliers’ Cyber Defenses
Wall Street Journal | Third-party breaches, such as supply-chain attacks and direct compromises through vendors, are expensive for hospitals. Hospital operators are taking a hard line on how their vendors and suppliers secure their systems. A new guide details areas such as data handling practices and sample language for use in contracts with suppliers.
Hospitals with Health Equity Factors Face Value-Based Penalties
revcycleintelligence.com | According to a new study, hospitals with more medically complex patients, uncompensated care, and patients who live alone are more likely to receive a penalty under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) value-based payment programs.
COVID-19 Vaccine Compliance No Longer Required: Joint Commission
beckershospitalreview.com | Effective immediately, The Joint Commission will no longer require hospitals to provide evidence of COVID-19 vaccine compliance, the commission announced July 5.
OCR Reinforces Importance of Multi-Factor Authentication in Healthcare
HealthITSecurity.com | The HHS Office for Civil Rights reminds covered organizations that strong authentication practices can help prevent data breaches and that authentication is part of HIPAA compliance. Multifactor authentication can make it more difficult for a threat actor to infiltrate systems even if one factor is compromised due to additional requirements needed for access, the OCR says, and notes that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recommends phishing-resistant multifactor authentication.
Need a roadmap to maintain compliance?
Regulatory Links
HIPAA – HHS Offices for Civil Rights (OCR) and the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
Individuals’ Right under HIPAA to Access their Health Information 45 CFR 164.524
Patient Access to Health Records
Information Related to Mental and Behavioral Health, including Opioid Overdose
Frequently asked HIPAA questions
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