25 Tips for Passing a HIPAA Risk Assessment

Dave Kunz

Title II of the Health Insurance Portability and Affordability Act (HIPAA), known as the “Administrative Simplification Provisions,” requires medical practices to follow a set of national standards for electronic healthcare transactions and assigns national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.

ICD-10: The Documentation Is in the Details

Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS

The format and structure of ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes (Fig. 1) are so completely different that it is difficult to believe that in just a few months they will be used for the same purpose. When educating AAOS members about the transition to ICD-10, I and others have found that is it best to start with something familiar. Then and now In ICD-9, many orthopaedic codes began with the number 7 or 8.

How Much Do Orthopaedists Spend?

Peter Pollack

Given the increased scrutiny of medical costs by payers and government, researchers at the Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute Center for Health Policy attempted to identify spending patterns for orthopaedic surgeons across the United States. Their study—“Patterns of Costs and Spending Among Orthopedic Surgeons Across the United States: A National Survey”—was published online in The American Journal of Orthopedics.

The Ins and Outs of Tail Coverage

Randy Cupp

Most medical liability insurance policies are claims-made policies. This means that a physician is afforded coverage for claims made and reported while the policy is in force. In addition, the alleged act, error, or omission upon which the claim is based had to occur after the policy’s retroactive date, usually the inception date of the first claims-made policy purchased, as long as there has not been a gap in coverage. Tail coverage protects the physician going forward.

Buy/Sell Agreements for Medical Practices

Brian Carlson, CFP®, CLU®, CLTC

Nearly one in five AAOS members is in solo practice, according to the 2012 Orthopaedic Surgeon Census. More than half of AAOS members are part of a private group practice. And the average age of AAOS members is 55 years. Based on these statistics, many members may be wondering what will happen to the practice when a partner retires, becomes disabled, or dies? Some practices may already have strategies for acquiring a partner’s share and redistributing it or transferring it to a new partner.

Last Chance to Get Ready for ICD-10

Howard Mevis

Orthopaedic surgeons have less than 6 months to ready their practices for the change from using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition (ICD-9) to ICD-10. The federal government may have delayed implementation of many parts of the Affordable Care Act, but it is not going to delay implementation of ICD-10. Beginning Oct. 1, 2014, orthopaedic practices will be required to use ICD-10 diagnosis coding.

How Do You Spell ICD-10 Success?

Cheryl Toth, MBA

New West Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Surgery, Kearney, Neb., is a seven-surgeon practice with seven physician assistants (PAs) and four athletic trainers (ATs). It’s also ready to face the challenges presented by the transition to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (ICD-10) in October. Their success is based on one word: TEAMWORK. Their ICD-10 transition team is a tour de force for leading and motivating the entire practice.

MOC Deadline Reminder: May 1, 2014

Diplomates of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) who wish to take the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) recertification exam in March or April 2015 must apply for the exam by May 1, 2014. The application is available on the ABOS website at www.abos.org Those who miss the May 1, 2014, deadline have until May 15, 2014, to submit their applications; a $350 late fee will be assessed.