Provided by:  Jennifer Kirschenbaum, Esq. 
                                                                 January 5, 2017

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and a healthy New Year!

The fresh calendar is the expected time for a reset or assessment of current affairs. As your healthcare attorney, there are a number of areas I recommend we review preemptively.  To name a few -

1.  HiTech Compliance (IT HIPAA compliance) - ensure your systems, computers, emailing, staff access are secure

2.    Patient and staff HIPAA compliance

3.   Employment practices - classification of workers, overtime compliance, HR procedures

4.  Coding and documentation review (consider a proactive chart audit by an expert BEFORE you are audited by a payor(s)) - ensure you are not "cloning" electronic notes!!!

5. Vendor and other third party arrangements review - to ensure no kickback or other concerns - including ensuring all arrangements required and recommended to be in writing are properly contracted

The few areas identified are not exhaustive of exposure areas for your practice - but the areas I view as most likely to result in liability.  As I continue to write for you this year on this forum, likely many of our newsletters will address these 5 areas.  If you have questions you think all will benefit from, and, if appropriate, I am happy to use for this forum free of charge.  If a question or situation arises you require counsel for, we will handle offline.  Either way, always reach out when the question arises, not after the fact.

Let's make 2017 the year of compliance and prevention.  
Remember - sprinkler installation as opposed to fire damage is a no brainer! 



Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and a healthy New Year!
The fresh calendar is the expected time for a reset or assessment of current affairs.  As your healthcare attorney, there are a number of areas I recommend we review preemptively.  To name a few -
1.       HiTech Compliance (IT HIPAA compliance) - ensure your systems, computers, emailing, staff access are secure
2.       Patient and staff HIPAA compliance
3.     Employment practices - classification of workers, overtime compliance, HR procedures
4.      Coding and documentation review (consider a proactive chart audit by an expert BEFORE you are audited by a payor(s)) - ensure you are not "cloning" electronic notes!!!
5.    Vendor and other third party arrangements review - to ensure no kickback or other concerns - including ensuring all arrangements required and recommended to be in writing are properly contracted
The few areas identified are not exhaustive of exposure areas for your practice - but the areas I view as most likely to result in liability.  As I continue to write for you this year on this forum, likely many of our newsletters will address these 5 areas.  If you have questions you think all will benefit from, and, if appropriate, I am happy to use for this forum free of charge.  If a question or situation arises you require counsel for, we will handle offline.  Either way, always reach out when the question arises, not after the fact.
Let's make 2017 the year of compliance and prevention.   Remember - sprinkler installation as opposed to fire damage is a no brainer!