Resources

Client Alerts, News Articles, Blog Posts, & Multimedia

Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

Time to Update Your HIPAA Compliance Plan for Telehealth Policies and Procedures

Client Alert

The delivery of healthcare in this country may be forever changed following the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing services through telehealth technologies initially allowed providers to connect with patients in a safe and socially distant manner and helped keep vital hospital beds free for COVID-19 care. Now, while still a safe, socially distant option, telehealth allows patients to access healthcare services in an efficient manner, decreases the likelihood of cancellations, and expands access to services that do not require an in-person encounter (i.e., surgery, procedure, or test). Telehealth is now widely reimbursed by both federal and commercial payors and more provider types are able to provide telehealth services within their licensed scope of practice.

While the use of technology by both providers and patients is now commonplace in the industry, protected health information (PHI) must be safe and secure. Providers are still obligated to keep PHI confidential and comply with the rules and requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). An increased frequency of technology introduces another avenue for potential risk and unauthorized uses or disclosures of PHI.

At the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), responsible for enforcing HIPAA, issued a notice of enforcement discretion to not impose penalties against healthcare providers for noncompliance with the regulatory requirements under HIPAA in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth through the duration of the national emergency. As of September 8, 2020, this enforcement discretion is still in place. It will not remain forever and enforcement actions are still at the decision of the OCR. Therefore, in a world with an increased use of technology for healthcare services and the risk of more unauthorized uses or disclosures of PHI, providers should still comply with all of the HIPAA rules and regulations and incorporate telehealth in a compliance plan and/or HIPAA policies and procedures.

The Healthcare and Hospital Law Department at Brennan Manna & Diamond, LLC is here to help account for telehealth and the increased use of technology in your current HIPAA compliance plan to ensure the safety and privacy of the PHI you create and/or maintain. The BMD team can help your practice mitigate risk in the ever changing healthcare delivery world. 

 


NLRB Issues Final Rule on Joint-Employer Status

On October 26, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its final rule on determining joint-employer status, departing from its prior 2020 standard. The final rule provides that two or more entities may be considered “joint employers” if each entity has an employment relationship with employees and if the entities share or codetermine one or more employees’ essential terms and conditions of employment. The final rule goes into effect on December 26, 2023, and will only be applied to cases filed after the effective date.

WEBINAR SERIES RECAP | Employment & Labor

BMD Partner and Co-Chair of the Employment & Labor Law Group, Bryan Meek, presented this four-part webinar series on trending topics in employment law.

Ohio Legalizes Recreational Marijuana; What’s Next for Ohio Employers?

Recent Changes to the No Surprises Act’s Federal IDR Process

Proposed changes to the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution (IDR) process were recently issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, Department of Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management. The October 27, 2023, proposed rule overhauls the current Federal IDR process in an effort to create efficiencies and reduce delays relating to eligibility determinations and address feedback from interested parties and certified IDR entities.

What Inpatient Behavioral Health Providers Need to Know About ODM's New Draft Rule for Reimbursements

Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) recently released a draft rule that will transform how inpatient behavioral health services are reimbursed for some hospitals. ODM will migrate inpatient payments for behavioral health and substance use disorder services (BH/SUD) provided by freestanding psychiatric hospitals (FSPs) from the APR-DRG payment methodology to a per diem payment methodology derived from the APR-DRG system.