INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions
and recent articles we have written.
ADA Website Compliance
Many of our clients are asking about the new ADA website regulations, and while there are no new "regulations", there were some recently updated "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines". In this article we will explain what that means for you as an optometrist and...
PCI Compliance
We get questions fairly regularly about PCI compliance and what it means for the practice. In this article we will give a brief overview of what it means for the practice. What is PCI Compliance? PCI compliance, or payment card industry compliance, refers to a set of...
How to deal with Online Reviews
There are 3 options when it comes to responding to online reviews: Don’t respond at all - The safest, but not always practical Respond in a completely generic way, - The office must be VERY careful not to confirm any patient details or even that the poster is a...
Employee Terminations – Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
As a compliance company specializing in human resource management, employee termination problems are a weekly issue – at a minimum. Like many issues in HR, the rules can be very complex and often don’t even follow common sense. To start, let’s clarify that the...
How and when do you “fire” a patient
Unfortunately, if you see patients, you will encounter difficult and or rude ones. Good customer service skills will usually help you deal with almost all of them but occasionally a situation will arise where you need to "fire" a patient. While Dr. DeLoach and I have...
Once Again….New I-9 Form Regulations
Here we go again. Over the past two years USACIS has issued proposed or impending changes to the I-9 system of employee verification. Most of these were recalled. Now we have another somewhat last-minute change in the I-9 system that WILL go into effect. In general,...
HIPAA Scare Tactics on the Rise
Once again, PCS is getting calls from clients about certain companies providing inaccurate information regarding the Federal HIPAA program. These "sales/scare" tactics are unfortunately nothing new. If you are contacted by companies and their high-pressure sales...
USCDI and The CURES Act, What You Need to Know
USCDI, MIPS, QPP, CURES, CDS…it can all be quite confusing, but let’s try to simplify it: USCDI stands for United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) and it is just a way to standardize information in an EHR system so it can be shared with others (kind of...
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)
Congress has passed a law regarding pregnant workers that will go into effect June 27, 2023. While short notice, an explanation will show that the impact of this law is not as far-reaching as some blogs and HR “specialists” have reported. What Does The Law Say? The...
Common Audit Triggers and How To Avoid Them
Unfortunately, too much of the billing and coding education in healthcare focuses on gaming the system to get the most out of insurers. This has led significant fraud waste and abuse in healthcare. In fact, the Department of Justice estimates it may be as much as $100...
Handling suspected substance abuse in the office
Recently PCS was contacted by 2 unrelated practices dealing with potential substance abuse issues. Our advice to them could be helpful in general. The first step is to make sure that there is evidence to take additional steps. Doctors/managers should carefully monitor...
Are Your Website and Social Media Platform Communications HIPAA Compliant?
The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights recently issued updated comments regarding HIPAA-compliant patient communication. Patient communication and protection of health information have been significant areas of attention in the past two...
Update on Mask Requirements in US Healthcare
While most feel the pandemic has subsided, there are still mounting cases of COVID and other SARS-related cases throughout the US. OSHA has eliminated most all COVID-specific regulations, reverting to standard infection control principles that have always been in...
Virtual Assistants – Legal but Beware
Outsourcing certain practice operations is nothing new. Remote billing services have been around for a long time. Novel companies are offering programs where remote individuals, typically outside the US borders, can assist with a variety of practice operations –...
Healthcare Compliance in the Corporate Eyecare World
We are frequently asked how laws like HIPAA, OSHA, Fraud and Abuse, and others relate to an eyecare business under the designation of “corporate. We are also frequently told by some corporate eyecare business owners these laws simply do not apply to them. Nothing...
Do you have to change your software to comply with the CURES act?
The CURES and the 21st Century Act are all about interoperability and the exchange of information (typically through highly regulated APIs). The goal is to someday have seamless ways for patient information to move from provider to payer, provider to lab, provider to...
CDC Updates Infection Prevention and Control…. Finally
In late September, CDC finally updated the interim infection prevention and control recommendations for healthcare providers. This is the first update to these recommendations since last summer. In general, CDC has taken the stance that current measures should be...
What Is A Real Security Risk Assessment?
You’ve all heard about HIPAA’s mandatory risk assessment. Maybe, likely you have heard a good deal of conflicting information. Are you confused? Seem overwhelming? We totally understand. This topic is constantly made more complicated than it has to be – by IT...
Big Changes in Use of I-9 Form and the E-Verify System
Employee identity and employment eligibility verification have been in effect since 1986 when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Verification for all employees is mandated with penalties for non-compliance up to $2,507 per employee. In 2017,...
Avoid potential inducement to refer violations surrounding free CE
For over a decade, PCS has been warning optometrists regarding the potential inducement to refer violations surrounding free CE provided to optometrists by ophthalmology groups. The Anti-Kickback Statute has always been very clear on this issue, stating that...