HIPAA Help: A Compliance Manual for Chiropractic
In past years the part of HIPAA that will have the most impact on health-care providers generally is in the portion entitled “Administrative Simplification” (AS). This portion of the law directs the United States Department of Health and Human Services to create standards for electronic transmission and maintenance of health records. These new standards would ensure consistency throughout the health-care industry and make it easier for health plans, doctors, and other providers to communicate and process claims and other transactions electronically.
However, HIPAA has been an evolution, and has been since its conception. The various parts of this mammoth legislation have been taking shape since 1996, and rolling out in a big way in 2013, 2014 and 2016, and some have yet to be fully enacted. Rules are, at this writing, still being finalized for portions of HIPAA.
HIPAA Help: Do I Need a Compliance Manual for Chiropractic, concentrates on what is practical and simple. It includes a discussion of how and why the law came into being and addresses the parts of the law and how they related to each other. The information on the chiropractic compliance website also includes practical tips on how to comply, with checklists and specific tips along the way, and of course the forms, audit logs and actual paperwork you’ll need are part of the OCCM set.
This manual is conceived and designed to assist fellow chiropractors to understand and comply with yet another wave of federal regulations. These regulations, are not unique to our profession. In fact, we hear often from doctors that the regulations don’t apply to them because they are too small, see too few people, do not bill electronically, and a number of other reasons. However the fact is they will affect every health-care provider. If you take care of one patient, and have no staff, you are still a healthcare provider and must adhere to the guidelines.
For the Doctor:
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An easy-to-read overview of HIPAA, OIG, CMS, HHS, HR, OSHA and other requirements
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Practical tips on compliance
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Time-saver models of forms and logs to facilitate compliance
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Cost-effectiveness in ownership of the manual—no more last-minute seminars
For the Staff:
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Convenience of electronic medium for all to view and use as reference material
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An educational tool for current and future staff
For the Practice:
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Consistency in approach to enhance compliance outcomes
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Compliance means risk-avoidance, and you are ready for your audit
Objectives accomplished by the OCCM Chiropractic Compliance Manual and E-News
Upon study and application of the information in this manual, the participants will:
- Understand the historical background, purposes, and need for compliance;
- Be able to list the major portions of the legislation;
- Realize the impact of HIPAA and other new guidelines on the individual practice;
- Develop a plan for compliance;
- Use the tools provided in this manual to get compliant;
- Execute and evaluate the compliance plan
- Plan staff education & actions using sample staff meeting agendas
- Monitor ongoing efforts in compliance.
The Manual is delivered on a CD .
Follow Steps 1 through 10 to get your office HIPAA compliant (along with all the other regulations).
Follow the guidelines for educating staff on HIPAA and Privacy rules as this is an extremely important part of the process and can potentially save you huge headaches and penalties.
Note: HIPAA HELP – for the Compliant Chiro with Manuals and Forms has been replaced by the updated OCCM Chiropractic Compliance manual set. Updated to 2016 the new set encompasses all aspects of regulations including HIPAA, OIG, CMS, HHS, Privacy and Security, HR, OSHA, Audit Logs, Training Logs and other required aspects of practice compliance.
If you think compliance rules don’t apply to your “small practice” or that perhaps you’re “semi-retired” and only see a “few patients” – you’re wrong. The regulations are clear. If you see a patient, you must be compliant.
About the Author
RobertA. Hayden, DC, PhD is a veteran speaker on Chiropractic HIPAA compliance issues and strategies, OSHA regulations in the Chiropractic setting, and other Risk Management issues. He is a member and officer in the Georgia Chiropractic Association and a member and Alternate Georgia Delegate of the American Chiropractic Association. He is a graduate of Life Chiropractic College, University of Mississippi (Oxford, MS), University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Mississippi (Jackson, MS), and Millsaps College (Jackson, MS).
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