What is "Compliance"?
In the healthcare industry, "compliance" usually refers to the
requirement that doctors, hospitals, and payers follow certain
federal and state laws and regulations. Many of the laws and regulations
address financial issues such as coding and billing. In the past
several years, the federal government has stepped up efforts to
investigate and prosecute doctors and hospitals suspected of falsely
billing the Medicare program, either intentionally or by mistake.
Following the advice of CMS (Medicare/Medicaid), many groups have
enacted "Compliance Plans" to ensure that their billing and other
practices do not run afoul of any federal or state requirements.
What is "HIPAA"?
HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996, and the term is also frequently used
to mean the many regulations which have been published since 1996
under that law. The HIPAA regulations, including the much-publicized
Patient Privacy and Security regulations, are the latest in a
long series of government efforts to regulate the healthcare industry.
See "Compliance", above. For more information about the HIPAA
regulations, please see the official
government HIPAA website.
What compliance services does MMRI offer?
Our practice management staff is highly knowledgeable about healthcare compliance, including the new HIPAA regulations. We can assist groups with assessing their practices, developing a compliance plan, and implementing policies and procedures, among many other services. We are also frequently asked to speak on compliance topics, including HIPAA. For more information on our compliance services, please see our compliance page, or contact us.
In addition to selling compliance services, does MMRI have its own internal compliance program?
Yes we do. As a third party medical billing and practice management company we are also required to comply with many of the same federal and state requirements as physicians. We have a corporate compliance officer and a privacy officer, who work with our compliance committee to ensure that we stay on the cutting edge of compliance. We also have a detailed written compliance plan and engage in regular employee education regarding compliance issues. All clients of MMRI are welcome to review our compliance program as part of their own compliance initiatives.
For more information, please contact our sales department at Sales@mmri-ny.com
