opPractice is an Electronic Health Records (EHR) Practice Management system designed specifically for the orthotics and prosthetics field.
The move towards the use of electronic charts (EHR), notes (EMR) and billing (EDI) is not only a good business decision but has become a regulatory necessity.
The Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) of October 16, 2003, prohibited payment of initial health care claims not sent electronically, unless the provider is considered a “small provider” with fewer than 10 FTEs. Medicare and many private insurers will now deny claims submitted on paper with a claim adjustment reason code indicating that the claim will not be considered unless submitted electronically. Eventually even small providers may be forced to submit claims electronically.
Electronic claims must comply with the appropriate claim standards adopted for national use under HIPAA or with standards supported under the Medicare HIPAA contingency plan. opPractice partners with the an EDI Clearinghouse to ensure all your electronic claims meet regulatory requirements.
On February 17, 2009, a bill was signed into law to encourage healthcare organizations to adopt and effectively utilize Electronic Health Records (EHR). Physicians and providers who did NOT demonstrate meaningful use of an EHR by 2015 were subject to having their Medicare payments reduced.
on 10/1/2015 CMS made the use of ICD-10 mandatory in their EDI claim files.
The HIPAA security standards specify 34 security standards that providers must meet to be in compliance. These standards include physical and electronic safeguards to ensure the safe protection of patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI). These standards include requirements that servers be maintained in locked and monitored server rooms. Most O&P software programs use local server installations which means O&P providers are responsible for implementing these security standards in their facility. opPractice utilizes HIPAA compliant cloud server system where these standards are dealt with centrally and practices do not need to maintain secured and monitored server rooms Cloud server hosting has other benefits of always accessible data and automated backups.
In 2013, HHS introduced changes to the HIPAA security standards, putting more emphasis on protection of PHI, more emphasis on looking at Business Associates and ramping up audits and fines.
For several years now, Medicare has required O&P facilities maintain accreditation through an accreditation organization. This is typically done through ABC or BOC. opPractice includes accreditation modules and is designed to meet all requirements needed to maintain your facility accreditation standards.
