From the Desk of Matt Fisher – ICYMI
By Matt Fisher, Esq
Twitter: @matt_r_fisher
Host of Healthcare de Jure – #HCdeJure
Tune in weekdays at 2pm, 10pm or 6am ET as Matt serves up the hottest healthcare issues of the day, all from a legal point of view. From public policies and Federal initiatives to privacy and security, join host Matt R. Fisher as he and his guests discuss a smorgasbord of topics, giving hospitals, physicians, vendors and patients a seat at the table. Matt’s virtual conversations can be listened to on demand or heard on air. So don’t miss a minute of what’s on the menu.
ICYMI, read the latest of Matt’s blogs. And don’t forget to join the conversation with Matt on #HCdeJure.
To Record or Not to Record: Should Visits Be Taped?
A patient walks into a physician’s exam room with an ever present smartphone or another digital device. The patient is especially concerned for the information that could be discussed during this visit and wants to be sure that they can remember everything that is discussed and presented during the visit. With that in mind, when the physician walks into the room, the patient asks, “Can I record this visit?” With that question, the physician is not sure how to respond. Continue reading on HITECH Answers.
Copy & Paste: Is It Fraud or Not?
Electronic medical records require a lot of interaction on the part of physicians and other providers to get all necessary information entered. There are drop down menus, boxes to check, and other information to fill in. With the well documented complaints about impact on workflow, a number of workarounds have been mentioned for a long time. Foremost among the workarounds is the use of copy and paste. Copy and paste can come in many forms including taking the entire contents of one note and bringing it forward, using templates to fill in predetermined information based upon a set of standards, or other similar uses. The premise is to make use of the EMR easier and more user-friendly. However, like most actions within healthcare, there are risks. Continue reading on HITECH Answers.
Rocket Pace, But To Where?
Not a day goes by (or many posts on The Pulse Blog) without a discussion of the rapid increase in data breaches impacting the healthcare industry. Information and statistics in this regard are inescapable. For instance, the so-called “Wall of Shame,” which is the public posting of breaches, recently crossed the 2,000 breach threshold. The Wall of Shame first came online in 2009 and took almost five years to hit the 1,000 barrier, but just another 3 years to hit 2,000. Clearly, the data show more breaches are happening and more frequently. Continue reading on HITECH Answers.
