Advanced Search

Inpatient Facility Coding & Compliance Alert

HIPAA:

Get the Patient Info You Need While Staying Compliant

Published on Mon Dec 17, 2012

Follow these expert tips to keep your patients happy while ensuring your facility gets paid. Many patients are leery of identity theft – especially where their medical care is concerned – so they’re wary of sharing their social security number (SSN). Even if your admissions and billing staffs understand the patient’s position, not having a SSN on file could mean you’ll have trouble billing the patient’s insurance. Make the most of the situation by reading our experts’ advice on when to collect the SSN – and when to steer clear of the issue. 1. Consider Collecting SSN Only When Necessary   Experts suggest that individual physicians and facilities should not collect SSNs unless absolutely necessary. Some insurance companies still require SSNs for billing purposes (for example, some still use SSNs as patient ID numbers). But if the patient’s insurance does not require the information on your claims, you should protect [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

Inpatient Facility Coding & Compliance Alert

View All