Compliance Consulting Service

Medical ITG helps make HIPAA compliance achievable and reduces health information security risks. To start, the HIPAA Security Rule requires all licensed healthcare providers to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. In turn, these safeguards protect electronically protected health information (ePHI) in any form. Additionally, these safeguards include properly accessing critical data so providers can render care. As a result, they ensure clinicians can effectively treat patients. However, securing ePHI alone may not be sufficient in preventing HIPAA violations. Ultimately, HIPAA compliance requires certain business processes to be in place to ensure your HIPAA security strategy is sustainable. Finally, these processes must address HIPAA requirements for both the technical and administrative components of compliance.

Medical ITG can help you achieve HIPAA compliance with a concept called Access Governance. In short, access governance is the process of managing access or permission to data, applications, and systems throughout their lifecycle. Beyond that, HIPAA requires healthcare providers to do more than simply secure sensitive information on their networks. Specifically, they must implement appropriate oversight over who has access to patient information at all times.

We provide HIPAA Compliance Consulting Services encompassing HIPAA Security Rule, HIPAA Security Rule auditing services, and HIPAA Audit Preparation services. In addition, 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). From there, we assist you in developing and implementing a cost-effective plan that reduces risk and ensures ongoing compliance with HIPAA. Furthermore, 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. As a result, it now focuses more on value rather than the volume of services. To support this shift, MIPS (Merit-Based Incentive Payment System) consolidates the three existing quality initiatives into one program. Specifically, these include the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Meaningful Use (MU), and the Value-Based Payment Modifier (VBPM).

CMS’s 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 following performance categories. Within each category, your practice must participate in a series of activities (except Resource Use). Overall, the MIPS composite performance scores range from 0 to 100. If your practice earns a high MIPS score, you receive a bonus. Conversely, if your practice earns a low MIPS score, you can receive 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 the 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

Need help in getting a MIPS score of 100 so you can receive the bonus? Contact Medical ITG for more information about our MIPS Consulting. You can call 877‑220‑8774 or email info@medicalitg.com.