For Immediate Release
April 19, 2018
Contact:
Andre Williams, Executive Director
Healthcare Business Management Association
202-367-1177
anwilliams@hbma.org
Eric Christensen
Healthcare Compliance Pros
801-657-4492
echristensen@hcp.md
Washington, D.C. – Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA) has collaborated with Healthcare Compliance Pros (HCP) to develop the Healthcare Business Management Compliance Accreditation for revenue cycle management (RCM) companies, medical practice management organizations and healthcare software vendors.
Healthcare Business Management Compliance Accreditation will establish standards to help these companies safeguard patients’ protected health information (PHI) by complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and ensure compliance with Office of Inspector General (OIG) standards.
RCM professionals have a responsibility and legal duty to protect patient PHI and submit accurate claims to government and private payers. “It is imperative that we monitor and protect patients, providers and valuable healthcare resources from fraudulent activity,” said HBMA’s President Ginger Ryder. “The HBMA Compliance Accreditation Program will allow the general public to know that their healthcare provider and business associates are protecting them and their personal information from fraud and abuse.”
Key elements of the Healthcare Business Management Compliance Accreditation include policies and procedures covering: the HIPAA Privacy Rule; HIPAA HITECH; the HIPAA Omnibus Rule; fraud waste and abuse; internal monitoring and reporting; discipline and corrective action; stark law; and the anti-kickback statute.
Each program includes a security risk analysis, employee training, monthly OIG exclusion list monitoring, disaster recovery plan development, business associate tracking and regularly performed assessments that are reviewed, evaluated and scored for organizational adherence before initial accreditation is granted. Yearly evaluation will be performed to assure recertification. An additional level of accreditation can be achieved and maintained through a rigorous on-site evaluation and review process.
An effective compliance program reduces fraud and abuse, improves operational quality and reduces the costs of healthcare. Achieving these goals provides positive results to business, government and patients. “HCP is in a unique position to not only provide the evaluation and review of HBMA member programs for the required standards to achieve accreditation, but also to deliver and maintain the ongoing resources to assure that the HBMA member organization continues to stay in compliance,” said HCP Director of Client Services Eric Christensen.
HBMA believes ethical behavior in the handling of billing, accounts management and other services for healthcare providers protects patient safety and enhances the RCM profession. The Healthcare Business Management Compliance Accreditation is an extension of HBMA’s Code of Ethics that the association encourages the industry and all members to adopt as common practice. To meet this mandate, HBMA has partnered with HCP in the development and implementation of this program.
HBMA encourages the healthcare community to unite to achieve corporate compliance accreditation. For more information about the Healthcare Business Management Compliance Accreditation program, visit the HBMA website.
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Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA) – HBMA works with legislative stakeholders and federal agencies in Washington, D.C. to improve the business of medical billing and the practice of healthcare. HBMA is a non-profit, member-led trade association. Since its inception in 1993, HBMA and its members have encouraged personal development and adherence to the HBMA Code of Ethics, advocated on behalf of the profession and promoted business development through a wide range of affiliated vendor resources, educational events, networking opportunities and certification programs. For more information about HBMA, visit the HBMA website.
Healthcare Compliance Pros (HCP) – HCP has been an industry and thought leader for years when it comes to HIPAA and Corporate Compliance and ensuring healthcare entities and their business associates remain compliant. As government oversight continues to ever-increase in healthcare, HCP understands the burden this puts on its clients. It takes a hands-on approach with each client evaluating their organizational environment, ensuring their policies and procedures are customized to their organization and kept up-to-date with regulatory changes, and assessing their adherence to these compliance requirements. Each client is assigned a specialist and has access to HCP’s team of experts and compliance technology platform. This type of “managed” approach allows the client to focus on their business, knowing that HCP is working to keep them compliant. For more information about Healthcare Compliance Pros, visit the Healthcare Compliance Pros website.