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  • HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Get these documents ready for an audit

    Although there is no way to know exactly what documents you will be asked to provide in the initial HIPAA compliance audit notice from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) there are some items you can expect to see on the list, according to experts interviewed by HIPAA Regulatory Alert:
  • You must be involved in survey preparation

    When Lauree M. Miller, director of patient access at Catholic Health Initiatives Nebraska in Lincoln, became the organization's coordinator of admissions, patient access didn't have anyone represented on the hospital's committee that oversees accreditation by The Joint Commission.
  • Check security of 'up front' areas

    Unintentional fraud can take many forms in patient access areas, including some involving protected health information (PHI), says Dan Schulte, executive vice president of revenue cycle solutions at The Outsource Group in St. Louis, MO.
  • Involve registrars in advanced directives

    Members of the patient access staff at Catholic Health Initiatives Nebraska now play a role in complying with The Joint Commission's requirement that patients be offered educational materials on advanced directives when they are admitted, says Lauree M. Miller, director of patient access.
  • HIPAA Regulatory Alert: HIPAA compliance audits begin with a pilot program

    As promised by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and mandated by the HITECH Act, HIPAA compliance audits have begun, and 20 organizations were visited during the pilot phase of the program.
  • Alert! Access areas at high risk for fraud

    Could a patient standing in front of you be using another patient's ID and insurance to obtain care? Is someone stealing a patient's information to obtain credit fraudulently? These areas are the primary risk in registration areas, according to Dan Schulte, executive vice president of revenue cycle solutions at The Outsource Group in St. Louis, MO.
  • Warning! Accreditation surveyors may talk with patient access staff

    Any staff member with patient contact, including those who perform a registration function, might be approached during a survey by The Joint Commission, according to Cynthia Leslie, RN, associate director of The Joint Commission's Standards Interpretation Group.
  • Make HCW education relevant in real-world

    By Toni C. McKenna, DNSc, RN, director of the Center for Continuing Nursing Education & Health Careers Institute at the University of Texas Arlington.
  • Quiet season: Where is the flu?

    At the end of February, typically the peak of the influenza season, there were only regional and sporadic cases of flu in most of the United States. In fact, the quiet left some infectious disease experts wondering, "Where is the flu?"
  • Handling chemo drugs raises miscarriage rate

    Despite workplace protections, pregnant nurses may still be at risk from exposure to chemotherapy and sterilizing agents.