Medical Billing Forum
HIPAA => HIPAA => : rdmoore2003 August 13, 2010, 04:51:27 PM
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With all the changes with HIPAA, Does anyone know what the appropriate time is to update hipaa forms? For example: In our counseling and psychology office, we have a client that has had continuous treatment for 3 years, how often do we have the client update a hipaa? Also, how often should we have them update demographic information? All this information plus other information is all loaded on a program for electronic medical records. NO PAPER CHARTS
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As far as demographic info that is up to you. Usually it is good to ask if there are any changes at least once a year, usually in January.
As for HIPAA, most offices just make the patient resign their HIPAA form to indicate that they are aware of the office's HIPAA policies.
Michele
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ok thanks so much
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Also remember that a provider/practice's compliance plan and policies and procedures should actually tell you how often those are to be updated as well as re-signed/filed. If
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Would the compliance plan and the clinic policy be one in the same?
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Sounds like it could be but 'clinic policy' isn't a term all providers use so we really can't be sure.
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Our office's clinic policy tells our process including fees, scheduling, collection efforts, missed appointment procedures, discription of services and informed consent, confidentiality, testing technicians/assistant, expectations, office hours, and psychiatric emergency information. Our clinic policy is approx. 3 pages long. With that said, do you think it would be considered the same?
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That sounds more like policies/procedures. The compliance plan would be separate. The compliance plan would tell you how often forms should be updated, compliance standards, procedures for non-compliance issues, contingency planning, HIPAA, etc etc