It has been a few years since the implementation of HIPAA but the rules, regulations and risks have not gone away.
Yesterday I was in a new office that had been set up by a large entity from Atlanta. The facility had all of the proper décor but what struck me was that it was not HIPAA compliant. How quickly we forget! They should know better.
Computer screens were not turned away from casual view, there were no private areas for discussing patient payments, appointments and referrals were made in the front desk area and there was no way of preventing that conversation from being heard by everyone in the waiting room.
Today, before it becomes an issue and costs you money, take a few moments to walk around your office. Look at the charts, the front office check in, the check out area, your medical billing, look at all of the areas open to the public.
Make sure you are compliant. Just like insurance companies do not need a good reason to reject an insurance claim, only a reason, lawyers do not need a good reason to file a complaint against your practice, they just need a reason. The aggravation of dealing with the complaint from answering it, producing documents, answering interrogatories, or just having to pay your own attorney are far more onerous and time consuming than what it would take to ensure your practice has minimized its risk. To some extent it seems almost impossible to completely eliminate it but reducing the risk is well worth the effort.
Remember, a stitch in time saves nine.
The Wynn Group, Inc was founded by Nat Wynn in 1996 dedicated to helping physicians with medical billing and practice management by allowing them to focus on their patient while The Wynn Group focused on making sure each and every claim got paid. Visit us here.
