Release of information and audits are often thought of separately. While release of information requests can come from many sources (like patients, providers, third parties and more), audit requests typically come from one source: payers. This difference, along with the disparities in volume, may cause HIM leaders to think of release of information and audits as completely separate functions rather than being one in the same. However, adopting this line of thinking is a huge mistake that could be harming both workflows. In For the Record Magazine’s latest issue, HealthMark CEO Bart Howe explores why audits must be considered part of your release of information strategy, not only for HIPAA compliance but also for efficiency and accuracy.
HIM leaders are tasked with managing backlogs and releasing requests in a timely manner, all while complying with HIPAA and other regulations to ensure patient privacy and verify that the right person receives the right records, every time.
Now, let’s consider audits. Audits also deal with the exchange of health information but usually on a much bigger scale. Instead of managing one request or a handful of individual requests, you may have to manage hundreds or thousands at a time. And in many cases, audits are held to tight deadlines, putting strain on the staff responsible for reviewing records in bulk, assessing them for accuracy and maintaining regulatory compliance. Not to mention the impact they can have on your reimbursement.
Audits are, in fact, a form of release of information and should be integrated into your overall release of information strategy. With audits growing in volume year over year, if your audit process is siloed from release of information, now is the time to rethink this approach before your audit backlog gets the better of you.
You can read the full article here.