See a reprint of this informative article on HIPAA compliance and providing medical records for use in legal actions here.

Included in the program is a subsidy to eligible family and internal medicine physicians in the Humana network to implement athenahealth’s EHR service.  One of the goals of the program is to make electronic record keeping an integral part of delivering quality health care services, reducing error, and improving communication among providers and giving physicians a better overall picture of a patient’s history and care profile.

The program will also measure physician encounters using HEDIS quality measures, which include opportunities to improve such areas as readmission rates, generic drug dispensing, and completion of health risk assessments.

Practices will be provided with customized goals and will be assessed regularly for performance and to provide feedback.  Practices that demonstrate an improvement in their care delivery will receive care-coordination payments and will be eligible to receive additional benefits through a shared-savings program.  

Humana considers this alliance with athenahealth a “leaping ahead” of the government’s efforts to drive meaningful use of EHRs.  For more information on this program, please see Humana’s information release and FAQ.

New doctor-owned facilities must be certified as Medicare participants by Dec. 31, 2010, or they will not be allowed into the program; and the law will put immediate restrictions on the growth of presently existing physician-owned facilities.

The reform law also includes caps on physician ownership, the repeal of some exceptions to Stark self-referral bans, and more disclosure of potential conflicts of interest when physicians send patients to facilities in which they have ownership.

Physician-owned facilities have found themselves in lawmakers’ sights before, and the new restrictions reflect the view that physician-owned facilities create conflicts of interest and that they cherry-pick the more profitable patients, straining community facilities.

Advocates of physician-owned hospital argue that the physician-owned model provides high-quality alternatives to patients in the marketplace, especially as physicians have more control over patient care and less competition from administration.

One lawsuit has been filed U.S. Federal Court in Texas, challenging the constitutionality of section of the law which would limit the expansion plans of a physician-owned facility.

Many physician investors await the results of the November elections, in the hope that a shift in the political make-up of Congress might help the situation before the end of the year.

 Find more detailed information at American Medical News.

How To Terminate Disruptive Patients, Legal Risks, and Solutions 

Additional information can be found in the North Carolina Medical Board’s position statement on the physician-patient relationship.

If you were unable to attend, or would like an electronic version of this session’s handout, please click on the link below and download her handout containing valuable information for your medical practice.

Medical Malpractice Danger Zones – October 2007 Handout

If you were unable to attend, click on the link below and download her session handout that includes valuable information for your medical practice to review and implement.

The Managed Care Settlements-September 2007 Roundtable Handout

If you were unable to attend, or would like an electronic version of this session’s handout, please click on the link below and download her containing valuable information for your medical practice to review and implement.

Legal Obligations: Refunds, Balance Adjustments, and Other Payment Issues

If you were unable to attend, click on the link below and download her session handout that includes valuable information for your medical practice to review and implement.

Self-Pay Fee Schedules and Collections – July 2007 Roundtable

HSAs and Medical Practices
Heather’s next Complimentary Roundtable topic is “Fee Schedules for Self-Pay Patients and How to Collect” and takes place on Friday, July 27 (12:00–1:00 p.m. – Lunch Provided) at 401 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. To register, for more information, or to sign up for a monthly email reminder, please send your name and practice name with address and phone to info@doctorslawyer.com. Or call us at 704-643-9076.

Managed Care Contracting – A Review and Some Tips