Advocacy “Did You Know?” June 20, 2024

The NCMGMA Advocacy Committee is proud to feature the weekly digest, “Did You Know?” spotlighting important healthcare advocacy news and events. Keep checking back and subscribe to NCMGMA News to stay current on all the latest updates!

CMS Extends Dispute Process Amid Change Hack

Naomi Diaz of Becker’s reported on Monday, June 17th, in their Health IT resource, “In response to the February ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, CMS is introducing special measures to assist affected organizations in navigating the federal independent dispute resolution process under the No Surprises Act.”

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Piedmont AHEC HIPAA Privacy & Security Training

No Cost Online, Self-Paced Learning

The online HIPAA Privacy & Security Training course will provide information on understanding the law and developing best practices within your office to ensure compliance.

The objectives for this course include:

• Understand HIPAA’s privacy and security rules and how they relate to your job and patients.
• Understand the types of health information.
• How to protect patient’s health information.
• Prevent intentional and unintentional disclosures of patient information and what to do in case of a breach.
• Understand what rights the patient has under the law.
• Helpful cybersecurity practical tips to use at work and home.

Learn More and Register

The Positives and Negatives of the End of the PHE

2023 Alliance sponsor feature article courtesy of WebsterRogers LLP

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in countless ways, and the healthcare industry has experienced more than their fair share of impact. Physician practices, independent ones in particular, had to adapt to new guidelines, protocols, and policies all while keeping their patients, staff, leadership, and providers safe. With the end of the federally declared Public Health Emergency (PHE) that came on May 11, 2023, a myriad of effects are going to be seen on practices – both positive and negative.

One of the most significant changes that is gradually occurring is the return of normal patient volumes. During the height of the pandemic, many patients postponed routine appointments or procedures, resulting in a patient volume decrease. As these restrictions have lifted and patients feel more comfortable seeking routine care, there has begun to be an influx of routine appointments. This, coupled with staffing shortages, could present a problem for physician practices that do not adequately prepare for change.

The end of the PHE also brings positive changes, such as the potential for less administrative burden on practices; the emergency initiated numerous policy and regulation changes to keep practices compliant. With the end of the PHE, however, many of these changes will become obsolete, meaning less paperwork and administrative burden for practices.

On the other hand, a potential negative impact is the discontinued suspension of other practice regulations. During the pandemic, CMS and HRSA took a delayed or lenient approach in implementing new legislation and regulations like the No Surprises Act. With the end of the PHE, that stance is likely to be rescinded and practices should act quickly to ensure they follow all legislative or compliance changes that have occurred since 2019.

As burnout in Physician practices continues trending in the wrong direction, we unfortunately must acknowledge that the end of the PHE is unlikely to change that. A study conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2021 determined that 79% of healthcare workforce feel the effects of burnout. According to a Mayo Clinic study conducted in 2019, this burnout leads to higher turnover, higher rates of medical errors, and decreased patient satisfaction.

If you need help navigating the end to the PHE, understanding its administrative impact on compliance, or assistance in lowering your staff burnout, the WR Healthcare Services Group team is here to provide guidance with some practical solutions.

We can be contacted at WebsterRogers.Healthcare@websterrogers.com.

Healthcare Consultants

Bob Whittemore
robert.whittemore@websterrogers.com
843.577.5843

Josh Drago
jdrago@websterrogers.com
843.577.5843

Beth Hyman
beth.hyman@websterrogers.com
843.577.5843

No Surprises Act Webinar Presentation Available

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Tuesday, April 19th for our NCMGMA-NCMSF Lunch & Learn webinar, “Physician Compliance with the No Surprises Act,” lead by attorney Joy Hord from Parker Poe. Joy presented and discussed the provisions of the No Surprises Act that are impacting practices.

The presentation slides from the event are now available (PDF). Click on the button link below to access the slides document.

April 19th Webinar Presentation

Thank you to Joy Hord and the NC Medical Society Foundation for their partnership with the April 19th webinar. Watch the NCMGMA website for more Lunch & Learn webinars coming soon!

No Surprises Act Webinar is Next Week: Tuesday, April 19th at Noon

NCMGMA-NCMSF April 19th Lunch & Learn Webinar
Physician Compliance with the No Surprises Act
for Medical Billing

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT | Zoom

Join us as we hear from attorney Joy Hord from Parker Poe, who will present and discuss the provisions of the No Surprises Act that are impacting practices, including:

• (i) what actions physician groups must take now in order to comply with the No Surprises Act, including provisions applicable to all physicians and physician groups (regardless of whether services are provided in facilities);
• (ii) process to obtain patient consent to bill as an out-of-network provider for certain services provided to patients at facilities,
• (iii) impact on physician groups of No Surprise Act rules applicable to payors, and
• (iv) reporting and enforcement rules.

Webinar Speaker

Joy Hord, JD
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
Joy is a healthcare attorney in the Charlotte office of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein and a frequent presenter for the NCMGMA. In her practice, Joy assists physician groups ranging from a few physicians to those with 100’s of providers in matters ranging from regulatory compliance and billing audit response to joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions.

Registration

This webinar is free but you must be registered to attend. Space is limited so register early! After you register, you will receive an emailed confirmation with webinar and phone-in instructions. Please check your spam/junk folder if you do not see the confirmation email after you register.

Register for the April 19th Webinar

Continuing education credit may be granted through your professional organization (MGMA, PAHCOM, AHIMA, etc.). Please self-submit for these organizations.

Questions

For questions or more information please contact the NC Medical Society Foundation offices at ncmsfoundation@ncmedsoc.org.

New Surprise Billing FAQ Released

Originally published in the April 7, 2022, issue of MGMA’s Washington Connection
Reprinted with permission from MGMA

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new FAQ document providing additional information about the uninsured and self-pay good faith estimate (GFE) requirements. These new policies went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and were implemented under the No Surprises Act.

MGMA is encouraged by the continued engagement from CMS to provide necessary clarifications; however, we are continuing to advocate for additional guidance and education to ensure all practices have the information necessary to comply with the requirements.

NCMGMA-NCMSF April 19th Lunch & Learn Webinar

NCMGMA-NCMSF April 19th Lunch & Learn Webinar
Physician Compliance with the No Surprises Act
for Medical Billing

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT | Zoom

Join us as we hear from attorney Joy Hord from Parker Poe, who will present and discuss the provisions of the No Surprises Act that are impacting practices, including:

• (i) what actions physician groups must take now in order to comply with the No Surprises Act, including provisions applicable to all physicians and physician groups (regardless of whether services are provided in facilities);
• (ii) process to obtain patient consent to bill as an out-of-network provider for certain services provided to patients at facilities,
• (iii) impact on physician groups of No Surprise Act rules applicable to payors, and
• (iv) reporting and enforcement rules.

Webinar Speaker

Joy Hord, JD
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein
Joy is a healthcare attorney in the Charlotte office of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein and a frequent presenter for the NCMGMA. In her practice, Joy assists physician groups ranging from a few physicians to those with 100’s of providers in matters ranging from regulatory compliance and billing audit response to joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions.

Registration

This webinar is free but you must be registered to attend. Space is limited so register early! After you register, you will receive an emailed confirmation with webinar and phone-in instructions. Please check your spam/junk folder if you do not see the confirmation email after you register.

Register for the April 19th Webinar

Continuing education credit may be granted through your professional organization (MGMA, PAHCOM, AHIMA, etc.). Please self-submit for these organizations.

Questions

For questions or more information please contact the NC Medical Society Foundation offices at ncmsfoundation@ncmedsoc.org.