A Couple of Things

A couple of things happened today that I thought Iitself was bad enough except that just before
would like to share with you. All elements of yourleaving, she took the liberty of setting herself up as
practice can learn from these experiences; the frontthe administrator on the accounts and changed all of
office, nursing staff, medical billing staff,the passwords. The provider was in a panic because
management, cleaning personnel.they are in the habit of verifying all insurance
The first involves the use of illicit substances. Ancompanies and most of those they are doing on-line.
employee in a local school system cafeteria burnedI assured him that we would get on top of it for him
her hand. On the surface a simple matter to be sure,and that in the interim we could use our log ons and
but once she presented at the medical office foror we could use the phones to get insurance
care, the board agreed to accept her as a worker'sverification information for him. This is a task that is
compensation case and shortly after thatusually performed in the provider office, but it is just
conversation the practice phone rang again. This timeone more little thing that we bring to the table in
the board requested a drug test. The patient wasmedical billing. For no extra charge we are happy to
advised and consented to the test. Now remember,cover that base on a short term basis and in the
this is now a worker's comp case and the patient inmeantime re-establish all of the log ons and
accepting that status does not maintain the right topasswords the ensure HIPAA compliance. By close of
privacy with respect to this or any future visitbusiness we had managed to get all of the log ons
regarding this injury. Once the report on the drugand passwords changed with the exception of two
test came back the patient now wants thatand the proper paperwork on those two were being
information to be held back because it is damaging.mailed so they could be changed. The provider was
Most boards of education are dependent on stateecstatic at the promptness of the actions and my
and federal money to pay the bills and along withstaff is to be commended for going above and
that money comes certain strings; one being thebeyond. Also, the staff member doing the work had
safe and drug free schools program. The likelihood isarranged to take the day off tomorrow, but has
that a job will be lost, could be some criminalnow volunteered to come in just to be available
consequences. What do you think?should this practice need our assistance.
The second thing that happened today involves aNow how do both of these tie into your practice?
practice that we have helped for many years. TheBoth deal with the legal liabilities of the practice.
front office employee left the practice in a lurch. ButBefore these matters appear, you need to establish
that is not half of the problem. She left with thethe proper protocols to handle each of these
front office copy of the protocols and in that copyoccurrences and to ensure that you are not plagued
were most of the current log ons and passwords forby a staff that presents with either or both of the
the various insurance companies they serve. That inissues above.