When HIPAA was enacted in 2002 it meant a major change for the medical industry and how things were done. There were a lot of stipulations with the act and it was not easy for organizations to comply at first. With the help of HIPAA consulting services however things got better and pretty soon all offices were integrated into the system.
When it first hit the administration desks at hospitals even before the bill became a law, some hospital administrators did what they could with what limited information they had to try and prepare for what was to come. They unfortunately did not have enough information to really do anything except maybe discuss what was to come.
Doctors might be great with patients and their need for help, but when it comes to paperwork and documents and things of that nature you can forget it, they get lost very quickly. It is mainly because their entire career they have nurses and receptionists and aids taking care of every little bit of that paperwork.
The fines levied against medical offices that did not comply with the laws of the act were heavy. No one wanted to have to pay one of those. Aside from the fines, it was a time when scrutiny of hospitals was at a high level and every one wanted their medical centers to be rated with positive marks, not negative ones. Especially when it comes to the rights of the patients.
Consultants were called in all over the country to assist various offices and doctors all over. In some cases they needed to revamp the entire operation just to make sure it would be compliant. Fines were being levied against offices that did not comply and they were not cheap either. It was in every bodies best interests to get everything up to speed.
There were some other common sense issues brought to the attention of staffers and medical professionals as well while the consulting agents were helping out. Patients names were not called out in waiting rooms for all to hear and charts are kept private and only the patient has the power to allow access to records.
When a doctor needed x-ray films or records from a patients last visit to their office, they needed to get the patient to sign permission for them to do so. As a proactive measure most doctors now have a form that their new patients sign that gives them rights in advance to procure forms from other offices if the need should arise.
HIPAA consulting has helped the medical industry adapt to the ever changing world that we live in. With the addition of HIPAA laws the records and record keeping policies became a safe haven for patient privacy like it should have been all along. These changes were difficult to adapt to and if not for the consulting agencies it would have been a very long road indeed.
When it first hit the administration desks at hospitals even before the bill became a law, some hospital administrators did what they could with what limited information they had to try and prepare for what was to come. They unfortunately did not have enough information to really do anything except maybe discuss what was to come.
Doctors might be great with patients and their need for help, but when it comes to paperwork and documents and things of that nature you can forget it, they get lost very quickly. It is mainly because their entire career they have nurses and receptionists and aids taking care of every little bit of that paperwork.
The fines levied against medical offices that did not comply with the laws of the act were heavy. No one wanted to have to pay one of those. Aside from the fines, it was a time when scrutiny of hospitals was at a high level and every one wanted their medical centers to be rated with positive marks, not negative ones. Especially when it comes to the rights of the patients.
Consultants were called in all over the country to assist various offices and doctors all over. In some cases they needed to revamp the entire operation just to make sure it would be compliant. Fines were being levied against offices that did not comply and they were not cheap either. It was in every bodies best interests to get everything up to speed.
There were some other common sense issues brought to the attention of staffers and medical professionals as well while the consulting agents were helping out. Patients names were not called out in waiting rooms for all to hear and charts are kept private and only the patient has the power to allow access to records.
When a doctor needed x-ray films or records from a patients last visit to their office, they needed to get the patient to sign permission for them to do so. As a proactive measure most doctors now have a form that their new patients sign that gives them rights in advance to procure forms from other offices if the need should arise.
HIPAA consulting has helped the medical industry adapt to the ever changing world that we live in. With the addition of HIPAA laws the records and record keeping policies became a safe haven for patient privacy like it should have been all along. These changes were difficult to adapt to and if not for the consulting agencies it would have been a very long road indeed.
About the Author:
You can visit the website Hughesvpo.com for more helpful information about How HIPAA Consulting Saved The Medical Industry
No comments:
Post a Comment