ROI 101 Blog

The Release of Information 101 blog provides an educational forum on the basics of release of information, the process involved and challenges faced within hospitals and physician or group practices. Authored by Rita Bowen, MA, RHIA, CHPS, SSGA, Past President of the Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and HealthPort Senior Vice President of HIM and Privacy Officer, Release of Information 101 is an educational resource and will discuss reasons why a solid and compliant release of information process matters to healthcare providers.



About Rita…
Rita Bowen is a distinguished health information management professional and a long standing expert on topics of interest to the healthcare community. She currently serves as HealthPort’s Senior Vice President of HIM and Privacy Officer where she identifies and further develops best practices for release of information and customer satisfaction.

• Privacy Audits Are Coming...Are You Prepared?

  February 14, 2012

  Greetings readers!  

  HIM sits at the top of the pyramid of healthcare professionals concerned with maintaining the privacy of patient information.  And, to stay on top, it is important to stay informed.  Each month, I will author the Privacy Points web column that will appear in Advance for Health Information Professional’s online newsletter.  This column will serve as the readers guide to successfully navigate the new HIPAA audits.  In this month’s column, I explain HIPAA audits and how healthcare facilities need to prepare.  Click here to expand your knowledge on how to prepare for HIPAA audits.

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• YouTube Video Discusses Challenges of HIM

  October 17, 2011

  During the recent AHIMA convention in Salt Lake City, UT, Steve Emery, HealthPort Director of Product Management, and I sat down for an interview with Billian's HealthDATA to discuss the challenges that HIM departments are facing today. We are now YouTube stars!  Click here to view the video.

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• ROI: Opening New Doors and Demanding New Options

  September 28, 2011

  In the past, the medical record request process (known as release of information or ROI) was an area within hospital HIM departments and physician or group practices stacked high with paper charts, rubber thumbs and an industrial-strength photocopy machine. This has all changed due to the introduction of electronic document management systems and electronic health records (EHRs).  Several flexible approaches supported by EHRs are now available to facilities and what’s more, these approaches are designed to ensure the compliant exchange of protected health information and provide high quality customer service at the same time.

  Providers and HIM staff need to evaluate these options more than ever to capitalize on their EHR investments and maintain efficient and compliant ROI processing.  The options are there and decisions must be made. Recently, I authored a new HealthPort white paper titled, “Release of Information: Opening New Doors and Demanding New Options,” which provides a firm understanding of the current demands of ROI, what other facilities are experiencing and the information needed to make a sound decision on what works best for your facility.

  Request a free download of the HealthPort whitepaper, “Release of Information: Opening New Doors and Demanding New Options,” from the HealthPort website at www.healthport.com/resources.  In my next post, I’ll dive deeper into the four basic options for Release of Information management at healthcare facilities.  Much is known about the first two. However, the other two aren’t as distinguishable and are more focused on flexibility of use.

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• Release of Information Fees-The Debate Continues

  May 03, 2011

  HealthPort General Counsel, Jan McDavid, was featured as an expert contributor in the April edition of For the Record Magazine’s article, “Copy Fees: The Battle Continues”. The article resurfaces the debate between healthcare facilities, ROI vendors and lawyers regarding how release-of-information (ROI) fees should be calculated. Jan does a great job of explaining how advances in technology and electronic access of records only changes the delivery method of requests, not associated costs, and how the intricate steps involved in the ROI process and knowledge of the application of various statutes and regulations to every request are important factors to consider.
  
  
  Click here to access the article in its entirety.

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• HealthPort to Participate in the Test Phase of CMS's edMS Gateway Services Program

  February 22, 2011

  Today, HealthPort announced to media outlets its involvement as the largest health information handler (HIH) approved to participate in the test phase of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) electronic submission of medical documentation (esMD) gateway services for information exchange from healthcare providers.
  

  As a participant, HealthPort will utilize its Release of Information Services Technology for the secure electronic transmittal of medical record requests by Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) and other federal Medicare and Medicaid related audit requesters via the CMS esMD gateway. This will allow providers the option to respond to documentation requests through electronic data submissions rather than by paper or CDs creating a streamlined efficient process and cost savings.  

  Click here to read the press release in its entirety which further explains HealthPort’s participation.

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