During 2017, the following HIPAA settlements have occurred. 1. $475,000 for an untimely notification to the OCR of a breach. Under the...

This is an update to our March 1, 2017 article titled “Lab Reporting Requirements to CMS.” This update is due to changes made by CMS last...

The deadline for physician office labs and independent labs to report their private payor rates to CMS began on January 1, 2017, ends on...

1. Breach Notification Rule. On January 9, 2017, DHHS issued a press release assessing a penalty - for the first time - for the failure...

Although most of this article relates to how MIPS operates for both anesthesia and chronic pain providers, there are parts that are...

1. What’s Not New. There are no new anesthesia codes. There are no modifications to the existing anesthesia codes, although there is a...

**This article was revised to correct the descriptions of the new interlaminar epidural codes that were incorrectly defined in the...

Chapter 2 of the National Correct Coding Initiative states, “Postoperative pain management services are generally provided by the surgeon...

Many pain groups bill 96103 for computerized testing of patients. The scope of what constitutes a valid use of 96103 has been in...

The last sentence of the prior article was partially incomplete. This is the corrected version. The OCR recently released a FAQ...

The AMA has provided guidance as to how to code a fascia iliaca acute pain block. Based on the anatomy involved, and physicians'...

On August 31, 2016, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida issued a press release stating that Coastal Spine and...

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has agreed to pay $2.7 million to the OCR for 3 HIPAA violations that it self-reported,...

On June 30, 2016, the Department of Justice ("DOJ") issued an Interim Final Rule that doubles the amount of penalties under the False...

For the first time, the OCR (Office of Civil Rights) has required a Business Associate to pay 6 figures for a HIPAA breach involving less...

The FBI has alleged, in an affidavit filed in support of a Search Warrant of Carolina Liquid Chemistries, that it is a crime to knowingly...