fsgl wrote on Friday, April 10, 2015:
From the AAO website:
The Office of Inspector General is randomly auditing physicians and hospitals to ensure they are conducting the required security risk analysis and implementing safeguards to protect patient health information. Such steps are required to fulfill specific meaningful use measures. Investigators will examine incentive payments physicians have received under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Meaningful Use program, dating back to 2011.
Physicians who receive a negative audit finding must return their EHR incentive payments. These OIG audits are separate from the one-year audits (Figliozzi & Co.) conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Physicians who are selected for an audit will receive a letter that requests documentation to support past meaningful-use attestations. In responding, they should prepare to demonstrate successful compliance with each measure across the requested reporting periods.
Essentially CMS (agency of HHS) is saying on one hand, we’ll incentivize you to convert to EHR; but HHS (department/Congress), on the other hand, is saying, we want the money back.
At the same time another HHS agency, the Office for Civil Rights (the enforcer of HIPAA), is also on the watch for security breaches.
Practices in the U.S. will find it evermore difficult to navigate around these landmines.
I was unable to find another online article about this new development. Our academy does keep its ears close to the ground in matters concerning Washington policies, so I don’t question the validity of the blog.
Double check that all your documentation is complete & unimpeachable.