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Who Will Run Your Practice If You Can’t? - 08/23/2023

You might have given thought to what would happen to your solo practice and your family in the event of your death, but what if you have a serious accident or illness and are unable to work for, say, several months?

Risk Management - 02/15/2023

Practice e-Tips on Risk Management

Beware of Phony TMB, DEA Agents and Other Scams - 11/15/2022

The Texas Medical Board (TMB) is warning physicians and pharmacies of a scam involving criminals who sometimes pose as TMB officials. TMB passed along a report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that says physicians registered with the DEA are receiving calls and emails from criminals who identify themselves as DEA personnel or other law enforcement agents.

Top Three Reasons Embezzlement Occurs - 10/11/2022

Medical practices suffer from one of the highest embezzlement rates of all service industries.Several factors can contribute to embezzlement. The top three are opportunity, pressure, and rationalization.

Did That Employee Quit, or Did You Fire Her? - 10/11/2022

The question of whether an employee quit or was fired is very important if the ex-employee files for unemployment benefits. It determines who has the burden of proof in the case. These tips from the Texas Workforce Commission can help you keep the onus of proof off you.

How to Delete Data — for Real - 10/07/2022

Whenever your practice scraps, trades in, donates, or sells electronic equipment, make sure the storage media is wiped clean of all data. Often your safest bet to remove the storage capabilities and destroy the hard drives or memory cards.

Beware Third Party Scams - 12/21/2021

As technological capabilities have evolved, some individuals and organizations are using these capabilities to try to scam others out of their private personal or payment information.

New Patient Visit: Three Years Is a Key - 12/03/2021

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services auditors have identified claims coded for “new patient” evaluation and management services that don’t fit the definition for new patient services. Be sure to avoid this coding error.

Paying Employees for Lunch Break - 09/08/2021

Does your practice have clear policies regarding rest and meal breaks for hourly (nonexempt) employees?

Data Driven: Medicaid’s Inspector General Focuses on Fraud Prevention, Not Just Prosecution - 09/06/2021

Since her appointment in 2018, Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman has homed in on using data analytics not only to prosecute fraud, waste, and abuse within the Medicaid program, but also to prevent it from happening in the first place. Texas Medicine spoke to Ms. Kauffman about what appears to be a shift in tone from this department as it also focuses on using the data it collects to educate physicians and other health care professionals on common billing mistakes.

How to Respond to a Medicare Audit - 08/27/2021

TMA Practice E-Tips editors ran across this excellent checklist of “17 tips from a lawyer” on how to respond to a Medicare audit.

Why, What, and Who Keys to Recoupment-Proof Documentation - 03/30/2021

The lack of a signature on specific portions of an otherwise complete documentation is enough to warrant a Medicare payment recoupment. Here’s what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found in three Comprehensive Error Rate Testing reviews.

Can’t Say It Enough: Document, Document, Document - 08/11/2020

When Medicare delves into claims errors, one stands out: insufficient documentation.

Watch Out For COVID-19 Cyber Scams - 03/20/2020

Internet scammers are trying to cash in on the widespread anxiety over COVID-19, and awareness is the best defense, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Likewise, the Texas Attorney General's Office has issued a warning about outbreak-related scams.

Microsoft Windows, Server Systems Vulnerable to Hackers, Feds Warn - 01/17/2020

Texas physicians should look out for a security weakness in Microsoft Windows 10, Server 2016, and Server 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said this week.

Ousting the ‘F-Word’ From Your Practice - 10/29/2019

You do everything you can to keep your patients safe and healthy. But are you sure your practice is safe from fraud and abuse? Don’t wait for a costly government audit – or a criminal charge – to come knocking. Check out the Texas Medical Association’s e-book, Fraud and Abuse Prevention Simplified, which can help you learn to protect both your practice and patients.

Medical Devices Could Be Vulnerable to Hackers, FDA Warns - 10/02/2019

Certain medical devices and hospital communications networks could contain cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could allow a remote attacker to take control of the device and change its function, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned on Tuesday.

Beware of Scam Email Sent to TMA Members - 08/21/2019

An unauthorized email that claimed to be from the Texas Medical Association recently was sent to some TMA members stating that the individual member’s dues statement and insurance policy update was included. If you received this email, please know that it did not originate from nor was it authorized by TMA or the TMA Insurance Trust, and you should discard it.

Don’t Try This at Work: Security Risk Analysis Is Not a Do-It-Yourself Project - 08/02/2019

Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) requires practices to conduct a security risk analysis at least once a year. HIPAA requires at least one analysis, and annual check-ups are considered a best practice. Many physicians find out through these reports that their practices have a lot of work to do to keep patient records safe.

Be On the Lookout for MIPS Audit Request - 06/25/2019

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has contracted with Guidehouse, a nationwide consulting firm, to audit physicians who participate in the Merit-Based Incentive Program, which is under the Quality Payment Program. If you submitted MIPS data for 2017 and/or 2018, you could receive a request for information via email or certified letter from Guidehouse.

Scammers Targeting Texas Pulmonologists Seeking $500 - 06/19/2019

The Texas Medical Association is warning pulmonary physicians to be aware of a scam involving a letter from a phony medical board that seeks $500 “for Pulmonary Disease Certification Status Verification.” Two Texas pulmonologists contacted TMA to report a letter from the “American Board of Pulmonary Disease” notifying them of a “very important requirement to continue certification in pulmonary disease at this time. You are on record having failed to previously register, and must comply.”

HIPAA: Are You Prepared for a Lost Laptop or Smartphone? - 05/30/2019

Even if the only work-related activity is accessing your email, you may have PHI on your phone right now. Lost and stolen devices are the No. 1 reason for patient data breaches of more than 500 records.

HIPAA: Are You Prepared for a Business Associate Breach? - 05/30/2019

Business associate breaches can be the most costly type of breach and present some of the highest risk because you don't have insight or control over the business associate's security or policies.

Alert: Scammers Demanding Bogus Fines For Drug Purchases - 04/01/2019

The Texas Medical Association and the Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) are warning physicians about scammers posing as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent trying to defraud doctors into paying a nonexistent federal fine for allegedly intercepting illegal prescription drugs the doctor had sent through the mail.

Greenway Clients Entitled to Free EHR Upgrade After Fraud Settlement - 02/12/2019

Electronic Health Record vendor Greenway Health has been ordered to offer its clients free upgrades to its latest version of Prime Suite as part of a settlement in a multimillion-dollar fraud case.