Tidbits
EHR/EMR “Meaningful Use” and Certification
March 2010
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), contains the provisions for Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH). Through HITECH, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)[1] intends to incentivize healthcare providers to engage in "meaningful use" of "certified" EHR or EMR. Until recently, the definition of "meaningful use" has been speculative. On January 13, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a division of HHS, released Notices of Proposed Rule Making (NPRMs)[2] which provide some additional guidance regarding "meaningful use" and "certified" EHR/EMR.
Office Management: Termination of Employees in the Physician’s Office
February 2010
Kansas is an “at-will” employment state. In practical terms, this means that unless employees have a contract with different provisions, their employment can be terminated for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason – as long as it does not violate protections afforded under the law. Most physicians and office administrators know that employees cannot be terminated based upon their gender or race. These are examples of protections afforded under state and federal law that provide exceptions to at-will employment. Other Kansas and federal statutes afford additional protections.
New Year’s Resolutions for Physicians
January 2010
2009 is over, and 2010 is here. 2009 brought many interesting new legal developments for physicians, including recent changes to HIPAA and an ongoing debate over health care reform. As we head into this year, here are a handful of new year’s tips and resolutions to keep in mind:
