HIPAA Compliance, Medical ITG, HIPAA Security Rule.
Medical ITG can help make your HIPAA compliance a reality and address inherent health information security risks. The HIPAA Security Rule requires all licensed healthcare providers to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that protect electronically protected health information (ePHI) in any form. These safeguards include the ability to properly access critical data to be able to render care as well as effectively treat patients. However, securing ePHI alone may not be sufficient in preventing HIPAA violations. HIPAA compliance requires certain business processes to be in place that ensure your HIPAA security strategy is sustainable and addresses HIPAA requirements for both the technical as well as administrative components of HIPAA compliance.
Medical ITG can help you achieve HIPAA Compliance with a concept called Access Governance. Access governance is the process of managing access or permission to data, applications, and systems throughout their lifecycle. HIPAA requires healthcare providers to do more than simply secure sensitive information on their networks; they must implement appropriate oversight over who has access to patient information at all times. Medical ITG works with your team to introduce a formalized mechanism for granting access based on job function, thus reducing risk and increasing accountability among employees. Our HIPAA Security and HIPAA Compliance consulting help software providers in simplifying complex HIPAA security regulatory requirements into concise action plans, which can be used to develop efficient HIPAA compliance solutions.
We provide HIPAA Compliance Consulting Services encompassing HIPAA Security Rule, HIPAA Security Rule auditing services, HIPAA Audit Preparation services. Our HIPAA Privacy & Security training will help you understand what it takes to get your clinic or hospital ready for an audit by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). At Medical ITG, we assist you in developing and implementing a cost-effective plan that reduces risk and ensures ongoing compliance with HIPAA. We have successfully helped healthcare providers across the country address their most pressing concerns concerning HIPAA privacy.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) changed the Medicare provider incentive system to focus more on value, rather than the volume, of services. MIPS (Merit Based Incentive Payment System) consolidates the three existing quality initiatives – the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Meaningful Use (MU), and the Values-Based Payment Modifier (VBPM) – into one program.
CMS’ goals in transitioning to the MIPS program are to
- Increase the quality and cost-efficiency of care
- Drive improvement in care processes and health outcomes
- Increase the use of healthcare information
- Reduce the cost of care
MIPS is scored on the below performance categories. Your practice must participate in a series of activities within each category (except Resource Use). The MIPS composite performance scores range from 0-100. If you get a high MIPS score, you get a bonus. However, if you get a low MIPS score, you can get a negative payment adjustment.
- Quality (50%): Measures the quality of care you deliver (replaces PQRS)
- Advancing Care Information (25%): Measures patient access to electronic information (replaces Meaningful Use)
- Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (15%): A added category assessing how you improve your care processes
- Resource Use (10%): Score calculated by CMS based on Medicare claims and availability of sufficient volume (replaces VBPM)
Entities that qualify for MIPS
- Physicians
- Physicians assistants
- Nurse practitioners
- Clinical nurse specialists
- Certified registered nurse anesthetists
- Groups that include such clinicians
- Clinicians who have billed more than $30,000 in Medicare Part-B allowable charges and have more than 100 Part-B enrolled beneficiaries
Medical ITG’s MIPS Consulting can help you find areas of non-compliance before CMS can. Our services include:
- Assigned MIPS consulting adviser
- Review of previous category scores
- Internal compliance audit
- Strategy for satisfying program requirements and avoiding payment penalties
- Regularly scheduled onsite, web, and phone meetings
- Selection and setup of MIPS education portal
- MIPS attestation assistance
Medical ITG can also assist with
- Network Security (PCI compliance, firewalls)
- HIPAA risk analysis
- Billing system assistance
- Managed IT services
- Vendor support for EHR/EMR programs
- 24/7 helpdesk support
If you would like our help in getting a MIPS score of 100 so you can get the bonus, contact Medical ITG for more information about our MIPS Consulting at 877-220-8774 or [email protected].