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Workers fired in privacy breach at L.A. hospital popular with stars

Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Eric Walsh for Reuters Five medical workers have been fired over a patient data breach at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Los Angeles facility said in a statement, while celebrity website TMZ reported on Saturday that the hacking effort targeted reality star Kim Kardashian. Cedars-Sinai, a favorite destination for celebrities…

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AHA: Hospitals Will be Ready for ICD-10 in October 2014

The below article, published in Advance for Health Information Professionals, uses conflicting statistics from several groups and associations. Where does your organization stand? Will you be ready for ICD-10? We’d love to hear your comments! From Advance for Health Information Professionals The American Hospital Association (AHA) is optimistic that its members will be ready for…

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The ICD-10 Journey

ICD-10 testing is about knowing the answers. By Patrick McNeese for Advance for Health Information Professionals There’s an old maxim that says: “Lawyers should never ask a Georgia grandma a question if they aren’t prepared for the answer.” ICD-10 testing needs to support that truism. Prior to development of test scenarios and scripts, an understanding…

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16 Hospitals the OIG Has Tagged for Medicare Overpayments So Far in 2013

By Bob Herman for Becker’s Hospital Review The HHS’ Office of Inspector General has ramped up its auditing and compliance review efforts over the past several years under President Barack Obama, especially in how hospitals and health systems are billing Medicare for inpatient and outpatient services. Here are 16 hospitals that have undergone OIG compliance…

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How to Fix Poor Dictation

By Julie Knudson for For The Record It bears repeating: Poor dictation habits can severely affect quality of care and timely reimbursement. For years, physicians have been dictating their patient reports and for years, transcriptionists have been trying to figure out what they’re saying. But as the health care system evolves, technology such as EHRs…

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A Tax Fight in Pittsburgh and the Future of Non-Profit Hospitals Nationwide

By Kate Pickert for Time-Swampland The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is one of the most powerful institutions in Pennsylvania, employing some 55,000 people at more than 20 hospitals and 400 outpatient clinics. Like many powerful organizations, UPMC has detractors. The health care system is under fire from local labor organizers who want to…

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Best Children’s Hospitals 2013-14: Overview and Honor Roll

By Kimberly Leonard for U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report has released its seventh annual Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, a guide to the best care for children who face life-threatening, rare or demanding conditions or procedures. In the 2013-14 rankings, 87 different hospitals are listed among the top 50 in at…

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Numbers game

Supply of skilled coders key to ICD-10 transition It’s all about numbers as hospitals, physician practices and health plans move forward with preparations to meet next year’s federally mandated switch from the current 36-year-old system of coding for diseases, diagnoses and clinical procedures to a new, more comprehensive standard. It’s not just the right code…

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