Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
Understand the Intersection of Family Medical History and HIPAA
Question: Does a patient鈥檚 family medical history fall under information protected by HIPAA? 星空入口Forum Participant Answer: Yes, a patient鈥檚 family medical history constitutes protected health information (PHI). The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) says that a patient鈥檚 family medical history becomes PHI once it鈥檚 a part of the medical record. 鈥淲hen a covered health care provider, in the course of treating an individual, collects or otherwise obtains an individual鈥檚 family medical history, this information becomes part of the individual鈥檚 medical record and is treated as 鈥榩rotected health information鈥� about the individual,鈥� OCR says. Critical: Even if a family member is mentioned in a patient鈥檚 medical history, the patient 鈥� not the family member mentioned 鈥� retains the control over who the information can be shared with. 鈥淭hus, the individual (and not the family members included in the medical history) may exercise the rights under the HIPAA Privacy Rule to this information in the same fashion as any other information in the medical record, including the right of access, amendment, and the ability to authorize disclosure to others,鈥� OCR says.
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
- Medicare Physician Fee Schedule:
CMS Finalizes 4.5% Cut to CF in 2023 Fee Schedule
But: Industry insiders are already asking Congress to intervene. If you thought that CMS wouldn鈥檛 [...] - Reimbursement:
Find Out If Your Specialty Wins or Loses Under the CF Reduction
Plus: CMS holds up on using revised MEI cost weights in the 2023 ratesetting. With [...] - Policy:
Check Out 5 Key MPFS Changes for CY 2023
Get ready now for behavioral health, E/M, split/shared updates. There鈥檚 no doubt the 4.5 percent [...] - COVID-19:
See the Latest on Staff Vaccination Survey Procedures
Caution: Stay on top of policy changes to ensure compliance. With COVID-19 and the subsequent [...] - Reader Question:
Stay Abreast of TPE and Other Medical Review Updates
Question: How concerned should we be about medical record reviews by the Centers for Medicare & [...] - Reader Questions:
Understand the Intersection of Family Medical History and HIPAA
Question: Does a patient鈥檚 family medical history fall under information protected by HIPAA? 星空入口Forum Participant [...] - Industry Notes:
Decide on Medicare Provider Participation By EOY
If you鈥檙e not a Medicare participating (PAR) provider but are toying with the idea of [...] - Industry Notes:
HHS Offers CERT Relief After Natural Disasters
If your practice was impacted by one of the recent hurricanes, you have a little [...]
