Medical Telephone Seminars

Effective Auditing of Physicians' Documentation BenefitsThe federal government's increasing interest in fraud, waste and abuse heightens the awareness of physician practices, both large and small, of the increasing scrutiny of physician documentation to support billings. In the past, audits are performed and physicians were lectured but all too often little improvement was noted. How can practices efficiently and effectively audit physician  more...

Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation BenefitsThis live audio conference 'Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation,' presented by John W. Valente, Esq., will discuss some of the solutions and strategies used by employers to both prevent and control common workplace injury claims. A review of common injuries employers face every day in the workplace injury realm, ranging from slip and fall claims to back injuries from lifting, and  more...

Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation BenefitsThis live audio conference 'Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation,' presented by John W. Valente, Esq., will discuss some of the solutions and strategies used by employers to both prevent and control common workplace injury claims. A review of common injuries employers face every day in the workplace injury realm, ranging from slip and fall claims to back injuries from lifting, and  more...

Medicare Secondary Payer Act: Protecting Medicare's Interest In Insurance Settlements ...re Secondary Payer Act, Medicare may not make payment for medical benefits where payment has been made or can reasonably be expected to be made under a workers' compensation law or plan of the United States or a state, or under an automobile or liability insurance policy or plan (including a self-insured plan), or under no fault insurance. By law, Medicare has a priority right of recovery from  more...

HIPAA Security Compliance Challenges after the HITECH Act BenefitsEveryone who handles any electronic patient information should attend this live audio conference on compliance with the HIPAA security regulation. All entities covered under HIPAA must take special care of electronic patient health information, including establishing policies and taking regular actions as part of a security management process. Under new regulations due to the HITECH Act  more...

Fraud Enforcement Trends in the Health Care Industry BenefitsNew funding, new tools, and a heightened focus on the health care industry by civil and criminal law enforcement authorities means that investigations are not what they used to be. Learn more about what areas enforcement authorities are focusing on, where the big and small cases are being brought, how to deal with law enforcement's new tools, and how best to prepare yourself and your  more...

Implications of Medical Marijuana in the Workplace ...r marijuana but tells you that he is a registered user of medical marijuana to treat his medical condition. Can you refuse to hire him? An employee tells you that he needs to take a daily break in order to consume medical marijuana to treat his cancer. Do you have to accommodate this request? How is this request different from a diabetic who requests a daily break to inject insulin? How do the  more...

Effective Use Of Medical Records In Personal Injury Litigation ...ry litigation requires the effective and efficient use of medical records. In order to present your case persuasively, you must have an understanding of how to collect medical records, how to use them during discovery and how to present them to a jury. This live audio conference discusses both plaintiff and defendant perspectives, and it will explain the role of medical evidence in the context  more...

Powers of Attorney: Medical Records Release Concerns ...medical practices understand that each day personal health information is transmitted in various forms between hospitals, doctors, attorneys, insurance companies, patients and their lawyers and families. With increasing reliance on electronic medical records health information can be transmitted with minimal effort. However, health information requests become more confusing and less streamlined  more...

Best Practices in Nursing Documentation: Writing Effective and Legal Proof Notes BenefitsLong gone are the days that nurses and other health care providers hand-wrote cryptic notes on essay paper-like chart pages that rarely were ever looked at again. Long gone, also, are the days that physicians would only look at labs, reports and other physician's notes, expecting the nurse to call to the physician's attention anything important about the patient so they didn't have to read  more...

Understanding the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Employee Family Leave Laws and Return-to-Work Issues ...ination on the basis of 'pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.' But what does this mean? The Family Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act may provide protections for employees with certain medical conditions due to pregnancy or who have recently given birth. But how do you know who is covered and what triggers these laws? A misstep may result in litigation  more...

Key Legal and Practical Considerations When Forming an ACO: Seizing the Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges to Achieve Qual BenefitsThe long-awaiting Final Rule governing ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) provides the industry with an improved outlook of the potential success that may be achieved, but also a daunting list of challenges to be met in order to seize the opportunities. This live audio conference will walk you through the legal, regulatory, policy, and practical challenges and  more...

Employment Law Compliance: Disciplining or Terminating a Workers' Comp Claimant BenefitsThis live audio conference will address many of the difficult issues that arise when considering whether to discipline or terminate an employee who is also a workers' compensation claimant. The program will cover the core concepts underpinning workers' compensation statutes and the primary types of anti-retaliation provisions found in workers' compensation statutes. The live audio  more...

Americans With Disabilities Act - The Reasonable Accommodation Process ... contained in your employee handbook, when you can make a medical inquiry, what is a disability-related inquiry, how you should handle a reasonable accommodation request under the Americans With Disabilities Act and what are some practical and free sources for you to utilize for reasonable accommodation requests. This live audio conference is designed for human resource managers, benefits  more...

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Records: What Can You Release? ...medical record custodians may be violating a patient's privacy protections without even knowing it in responding to requests for a patient's health information that contain substance abuse and mental health information? Do you know that you may need to withhold mental health and substance abuse records, even in responding to a records subpoena? Learn more about these issues and more by  more...

Best Practices to Modify Electronic Health Records While Maintaining Record Integrity BenefitsMoving to an electronic health record system can make it possible to work more efficiently and effectively by automating certain tasks and making information easier to locate. But sometimes, even electronic records must be modified by adding, amending, correcting or deleting information. In some ways, paper records were easier to deal with, as incorrectly filed documents could simply be  more...

Discharge Codes: Impact on the Post-Acute Care Transfer Policy - Risks and Rewards BenefitsImproper understanding and application of discharge codes may result in reduced hospital reimbursement and represent a compliance risk under the PACT policy. William E. Haik, M.D. has been involved in ICD-9-CM coding and chart documentation for more than 25 years and will explain why the problem exists and how to remedy it. This live audio conference is designed for medical records  more...

Considering Medicare's Interest in Future Medical Expenses While Avoiding MSA Overfunding ...workers' compensation and liability cases in which future medical expenses are likely to be incurred. We will explore the legal obligations of injured persons, insurers, and employers in compliance with the Medicare Secondary Payer Act when settling workers' compensation and liability cases. Explore alternatives to submission for CMS approval as a means of compliance. The program advocates a  more...

The WE in Wellness--5 Skills Every Case Manager Should Know for Effective Case Management ...ents. Learning Objectives: - You will be able to explain medical homes and community case management. - You will be able to describe realistic goal setting with clients. - You will be able to discuss teaching techniques and resources available for client education. - You will be able to identify barriers to wellness. - You will be able to describe management of client expectations of wellness  more...

Medical Records Update for Paralegals: Releases, Retention and Confidentiality Requirements ...Medical providers and health plans, vendors, and others who retain medical or health records are often subjected to complex and conflicting requirements to maintain the confidentiality and restrict the disclosure of the information. Complex and overlapping rules and regulations impose rigid requirements that must be met before information is released and require medical record repositories to  more...

Smartphone Policies For The Health Care Industry BenefitsThe proliferation of smartphones in the workplace have created legal compliance issues for many employers, ranging from how to monitor and control usage during working hours, to how to protect company information being disseminated by such devices. Many of these issues are even more acute in the health care industry because of the 24/7 nature of the facilities, and the regulations  more...

Alternative and Controversial Land Use Regulations ...with flood plain regulation. Finally, some problems, like medical marijuana, have such a mix of land use, federal and state interest, business regulation and blight avoidance, that an approach transcending zoning is required. (Solution) This live audio conference will equip local planners and elected and appointed officials with the necessary tools to understand and manage the federal and  more...

Determining Meaningful Use for Electronic Health Records BenefitsIn order to receive incentive payments from the federal government, physicians and hospitals must achieve 'meaningful use' of electronic health records through an attestation process. This process is new and complicated. This live audio conference will outline meaningful use guidelines and requirements to receive incentive payments, including timelines, criteria, an outline of the  more...

IPPS Final Rule BenefitsThe Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) was implemented in 1983 replacing a cost-based reimbursement methodology in an effort to better control the costs of providing care to the Medicare inpatient and to incentivize hospitals to better manage utilization. As time has passed CMS has modified the program to better recognize severity of illness AND to reduce payments to hospitals for  more...

Legal Issues Surrounding the Utilization and Maintenance of Computerized Medical Records ...evidence that electronic health record systems can reduce medical errors and lead to more efficient delivery of care, many hospitals and providers are beginning to implement EHRs in their facilities and practices. Despite federal regulations that permit certain donations of EHR technology, the implementation and ongoing use of EHRs is expensive and raises many legal concerns. This live audio  more...

Preparing for Medicaid Audits ...s. The typical overpayment is no longer solely based on a medical necessity analysis, but instead extends to instances of technical noncompliance of the most insignificant nature. Failure to prepare and to adequately respond, even if prepared, may subject a provider to the harshest of consequences. This audio conference is critical to any provider enrolled in the Medicaid program who desires to  more...

Medical Records: Responding to Subpoenas and Investigations ...rements to state privacy laws, legal issues abound in the medical records arena. If you're not up to date on medical records law, your company could face serious legal and financial liability risks. Attend this audio conference and gain critical information on confidentiality, disclosure, documentation requirements and HIPAA issues you face every day. You'll learn everything you need to know  more...

Legal Aspects in Representing Clients with Dementia ...ng measures are important to avoid crisis situations upon medical incapacity. The topics covered include everything from simple advanced directives and estate planning, to complex planning for the purpose of VA and Medicaid benefits. You will understand the process of legal crisis intervention if preplanning measures are not put in place. Learning Objectives - You will be able to identify the  more...

Risk Management in the Retention and Destruction of Medical Records ...medical records. The retention and destruction of each is governed by various state and federal laws and regulations. Additionally, when evaluating the storage and destruction of medical records, other factors such as reimbursement and billing, accreditation and professional standards must be considered. This audio conference will help you understand what is considered a medical record, the  more...

Risk Management in Telephone Triage: Lessons Learned From Telephone Triage Litigation BenefitsThe telephone, once used merely as an appointment scheduling device, has become an integral part of provider-patient interactions. Research indicates that approximately 20 to 28 percent of all primary health care is handled over the telephone. However, without proper training and accountability, telephone triage can result in improper diagnosis and management as well as legal liability.  more...

Medical Privacy Rights of Minors ...Medical providers and others who come into contact with medical or health records are often subjected to complex and conflicting requirements to maintain the confidentiality and restrict the use of the information. When those providers and others deal with minors, the complexity increases dramatically. When the right of an individual to privacy and security with regard to his or her medical  more...

Mental Health Record Compliance ...lth care provider, you are generally subject to the HIPAA medical record privacy and security requirements. To the extent they deal with substance abuse diagnosis and treatment, you are also subject to additional federal confidentiality restrictions, particularly part 2 of 42 CFR. You also deal with some specific types of records that are subject to specific requirements under state and federal  more...

Grant and Other Funding Opportunities Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 ...rect and indirect federal grant funding opportunities for medical providers, hospitals, home health agencies, nursing facilities, colleges and universities, and employers. Under several of the grant programs, state and local government, and nonprofit entities are flow-through entities through which eligible applicants can apply for federal grant funding. This teleconference will provide an  more...

Principal Diagnosis Selection: Ensure Compliance with Official Coding Guidelines ...ird-party payer initiatives to second guess and undermine medical record coder's selection of principal diagnosis selection under the guise of medical necessity and accurate and compliant coding. Under the RAC Demonstration Project, a pattern of supposed coding errors and medical necessity errors were vested based upon clinically inaccurate and improper principal diagnosis selection. Inaccurate  more...

Texas Nonsubscriber Claims 101: Perspectives From Employees and Employers ...criber employers purchase insurance products that pay for medical care, lost wages and indemnify the employer if a claim is filed. Other employers self-insure and handle claims in-house or send them to third-party claim administrators. Different than workers' compensation claims, employees, who work for nonsubscriber employers may pursue personal injury claims in court or at arbitration. The  more...

Business Associate Agreements After the HITECH Act BenefitsThe HITECH Act includes important, new and far-reaching provisions concerning the privacy and security of health information that will materially and directly affect more entities, businesses and individuals in more diverse ways than ever before. The HITECH Act now directly obligates business associates to comply with the HIPAA Security Rule's administrative, physical and technical  more...

How to Save Millions in Claims Through Ergonomics and Injury Prevention ...st an ergonomic analysis as an essential tool in managing medical-only and indemnity workers' compensation claims, what to expect from an ergonomic work site analysis, who should deliver the service and your responsibility in implementing the recommended strategies. This teleconference is designed for Human resource managers, benefits professionals, personnel managers, safety directors, risk  more...

Medical Records 101: Responding to Requests for Patient Information ...tsRegister for this teleconference and get an overview of medical management issues faced by health care providers in responding to requests for patient information for litigation purposes. The conference speaker, who has extensive experience in civil litigation, including the representation of large medical institutions, will provide guidance in avoiding mistakes in disseminating patient  more...

Recognizing Child Abuse BenefitsA study shows that many RNs, including pediatric RNs, feel uneasy or inexperienced with regard to recognizing and reporting child maltreatment. In addition, many myths and misconceptions exist surrounding the issues of child maltreatment. This teleconference will assist in dispelling some of these myths and will provide resources so that you can feel more confident with how to respond and  more...

Medical Necessity - The Collaborative Partnership Approach ...ith reducing financial exposure due to noncompliance with medical necessity in the ordering and performing of diagnostic tests on both the inpatient and outpatient business environment. Current hospital business processes and medical staff mind-sets do not lend themselves and promote financial efficiencies in the performance and reimbursement of diagnostic tests, particularly radiology  more...

Today's Legal Medical Record - A Hybrid Record ...tion. We'll remind ourselves what the real purpose of the medical record is and investigate how we meet those purposes with a hybrid record. We'll look at what the components of the legal medical record include versus those items that are not included. We'll also look at how we transition our forms or documentation committee for a hybrid record and how we begin to operationally prepare  more...

Impact of Health Care Reform on Health Care Providers BenefitsIn addition to mandating private health insurance coverage, recently enacted health care reform legislation also made sweeping changes to the Medicare payment and service delivery systems and strengthened current laws upon which the federal government relies to fight health care fraud, waste and abuse. This teleconference will include a broad overview of the aspects of health care reform  more...

Low Back Claims: From Injury to MMI ...leading cause of work-related disorders that present to a medical provider or occupational clinic. It is estimated that complaints regarding the low back account for up to one-third of all workers' compensation costs. Additionally, occupationally-induced low back disorders can lead to loss of an employee, lost time, diminished productivity, and the cost of hiring and training replacement  more...

Insurance Claim Appeals ...medical providers today are struggling at the number of claim denials and appeals that have to be performed to attempt to gain reimbursement from health care insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid. This teleconference will help you understand how first to establish when an appeal can be implemented, when to formally continue to disagree with their findings in writing and what  more...

Strengthening Self-Esteem, Resilience and Body Image in Adolescents BenefitsAdolescence is a time of heightened self-consciousness and anxiety about 'measuring up' in relation to schoolwork, appearance and social life. Today's culture promotes unrealistic and narrow standards of what is acceptable and attractive, increasing stress that can all too often undermine self-esteem and encourage feelings of inadequacy. This teleconference will look at some of the  more...

Recovery Audit Contractor Roll Out - What Can We Expect? BenefitsThe permanent Recovery Audit Contractor Program has rolled out in most regions and the RACs have posted new issues approved by CMS for review. This teleconference will review who, what and how providers can prepare for the reviews, the lessons learned and the appeal process, including CMS' recently issued recoupment time limits and interest assessment rules. Medical records directors,  more...

Criminal Liabilities Under HIPAA BenefitsMany hospitals, physician offices and other covered entities have been surprised to learn that HIPAA rules provide for criminal penalties - up to 10 years in prison for intentional violations! Now the stakes are higher and there are more stakeholders: recent stimulus legislation dramatically increased the stakes for HIPAA compliance by substantially increasing penalties for HIPAA  more...

Limited Medical Programs: How Employers Are Using Them to Control Health Care Costs ...medical premiums, employers are hitting road blocks in cost saving measures. We are at a point of office visit co-pays approaching $50, prescription drug co-pays of $50 to $100, deductibles exceeding $2,000 for in-network benefits, and more and more premium cost shifting from employer to employee. Employee's are finding it hard to afford the per pay premiums and coupled with huge out-of-pocket  more...

Implications of the Stimulus Package on HIPAA BenefitsThe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes substantial changes to requirements for the protection of health information privacy and security under HIPAA, some of which are already in effect. New requirements for business associates of HIPAA covered entities and requirements to notify individuals in the event of a breach are only two of the many areas affected in the new law,  more...

Making Revisions to Closed Medical Records ...Medical records contain some of the most sensitive and personal information that exists about individuals in modern society, and some closed records may need revision because of new information received or because of the requests of individuals to correct or modify existing information. When is it appropriate to make revisions, how and under what circumstances, and at whose request? This  more...

Medical Identity Theft: Why You Must Prevent and How to Minimize Its Occurrence ...on of privacy can have devastating impact on the patient, medically and financially; the resulting reputational and financial fallout on the provider and payer organizations can also be massive. Not only is fraud a risk but also, and more critical, is the threat to safe patient outcomes. This teleconference will focus on how to minimize patient identity and medical identity theft threats  more...

Techniques for Treating Young Clients Who Suffer From Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder BenefitsYou will learn how to identify post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated grief and childhood traumatic grief, as well as learn techniques to treat symptoms of these conditions. Social service directors, social workers, case managers, counselors, psychologists, law enforcement officials, medical staff and administrators  more...

Dealing with Difficult Patients BenefitsOften hospitals and other healthcare facilities must weigh the value of client satisfaction and safety. Acute care settings may be particularly susceptible to the problem difficult patients because of the number of different service providers involved and the fact that it is an important and heavily people-based service. Difficult patients cannot be avoided; therefore health care  more...

Healthcare Self-Disclosure Update BenefitsThe program will review these and other key questions: - What options do health care providers have for voluntary disclosure? - What factors should health care providers consider when determining whether a potential violation should be reported? - How have these been changed by health care reform legislation and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act? - How does the position of CMS alter  more...

Can Medical Tourism Lower Your Healthcare Costs? ...issues associated with persons traveling abroad for their medical care. Medical travel, or medical tourism, has become a major focus of interest as a potential means for helping to mitigate the high cost of health care in the United States. It is no longer really about tourism but substantially more about the nature of medical care that might be available from destination providers. While  more...

Valid Consents ...aced with the difficult decision of electing to undergo a medical procedure. Before obtaining an affirmative decision, it is important that the health care practitioner obtain informed consent. This teleconference will educate you on how to determine whether a patient is capable of giving informed consent. This teleconference also explains who may give informed consent on behalf of the patient  more...

Medical Professionals and Social Media: Privacy and Security Issues ... security issues that surround the use of social media by medical professionals. As more and more new physicians and other professionals enter the health care workplace, they are bringing with them the tools and technologies that they feel helps them do their job better, including the greater use of cell phones, texting, twittering, blogging, and using Web sites like Facebook and LinkedIn . But  more...

Health Information Exchange: The Impact of the Stimulus Code BenefitsIn February of 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act known more commonly as the Stimulus Act. The legislation for a large part included tremendous new legislation, but brings to the forefront, the first time in history, incentives for American doctors to revamp their paper charts to electronic health  more...

Return-to-Work Compliance When Jobs Are Gone ...f absence. The workers' compensation laws, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act are just a few of the laws that govern this difficult minefield that must be navigated by employers. Failing to comply with these and other employment laws can expose you and your organization to significant legal liability and damage awards. This  more...

Work-Related Stress Claims: Overview, the Law and Strategies for Defense ...c injury and even pulmonary injury, there is no objective medical evidence that can unequivocally establish psychiatric disability, let alone its relationship to workplace stress. This teleconference will solely address the mental/mental claim, i.e., mental stress leading to mental disability. This is the far more elusive topic and as distinguished from physical/mental (physical injury leading  more...

Managing Job Accommodations Under the ADA: Using Medical Experts BenefitsEmployers are confronted every day with requests for job accommodations from employees. You as the employer should control the job accommodation process - but how do you do that? What are your legal obligations? More importantly, what are your rights? When and what type of medical documentation can be requested of the employee? When can you request an IME? When can you use a medical  more...

Managing External Health Information ...record, which has become the 'kitchen junk drawer' of the medical records department. With increasing numbers of providers converting to electronic medical records, the question of how - and whether - to address and integrate these records into the facility's medical records is becoming more difficult. This teleconference will attempt to address these issues and offer practical guidance for  more...

Infection Control Programs BenefitsHealth care associated infections have moved into the forefront of the health care industry due to emerging and re-emerging issues, the human toll and reimbursement challenges. Central to this problem is the impact of the infection preventionist and the infection prevention function. This teleconference will help identify specific elements of an effective infection prevention program and  more...

Introduction to New ICD-10 Coding: Preparing for Implementation nThe International Classification of Disease and Operations, Ninth Edition has out-lived its usefulness for capturing morbidity and mortality amongst the world population. Most developed nations transitioned to ICD-10 several years ago, but because of the tie of ICD-9-CM to payments in the United States there have been a series of delays in the US implementation. As the US moves a lightening speed  more...

Staying Compliant with the Medicare Incident-To Rules ...medical practice dollar counts, the Medicare incident-to billing rules can enable physicians to capture revenue from common services performed by office staff. The incident-to rules, while simple on their face, can be complex in their application and failing to follow each element of the rules can result in overpayments and even false claims liability. Knowing the rules and applying them  more...

Patients' Rights Update nHealth care providers, particularly long term care providers, mental health providers and hospices, have become increasingly aware of patients' rights concerns in recent years. Many states have passed bills of rights for their residents living in mental health, skilled nursed or other health care facilities. These bills of rights cover basic and not so basic concerns. From the right to be treated  more...

Managed Care Contracting and Fee Schedule Review nMany practice administrators are charged with the task of negotiating managed care contracts for their practices. This responsibility is generally an inherited function from their predecessor. Most do not understand how to compute an equitable fee schedule or track contract performance. This teleconference will help you understand methods for tracking to performance and how first to establish a  more...

Client Rights Issues: Informed Consent and Confidentiality nBoth state and federal laws contain myriad requirements intended to protect client rights. Most importantly are those that relate to rights regarding providing informed consent and privacy of health information. However, many health care providers do not understand the complex intersections of regulatory and common law requirements for obtaining consent and protecting client privacy. Failure to  more...

Reducing Insulin Errors nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this past June that 24 million Americans now have diabetes, an increase of three million people in just two years. Diabetes is also one of the most common diagnoses seen in hospitalized patients. Moreover, insulin may be the preferred medication to manage glucose while patients are hospitalized. The Joint Commission of Accreditation of  more...

Using Medical Certifications to Minimize Employer Liability: FMLA, ADA and Workers' Comp ...ities Act was passed in 1990, proactive and proper use of medical certifications has proven to be a valuable tool to protect employers from liability under the ADA, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1994, and state workers' compensation statutes. But the legal landscape for managing employee health issues has had many changes in recent months. Amendments to the ADA took effect January 1,  more...