legal matters
EHRs
DENTAL PROVIDERS NEED TO BE AWARE OF
HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY FOR
by Sarah Q. Wirskye
A new report from HHS warns physicians about improper use of
their Electronic Health Records (EHRs), especially the copy-paste
function. Specifically, in December 2013, HHS’ Office of Inspector
General (OIG) issued a report entitled “Not All Recommended Fraud
Safeguards Have Been Implemented in Hospital EHR Technology.”
The government conducted the study in response to a concern that
EHRs, which are quickly replacing traditional paper medical records,
can make it easier to commit fraud.
While the study focused on hospitals, all
healthcare providers should expect
greater scrutiny of the issues discussed
below and particularly the copy-paste
function and one-click auto-population
features in medical records. Moreover,
these issues will not only receive attention by the government, but also will be
scrutinized by insurance companies.
18 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
Study Methodology
and Objectives
In order to complete the study, the government gathered data from hospitals
and EHR vendors. It also conducted onsite interviews and observed hospitals’
certified EHR technology.
The first objective of the study was to
assess the extent to which hospitals that
received EHR Medicare incentive payments implemented the recommended
fraud safeguards for EHR technology in
the following categories: audit functions; user authorization and access controls; data transfer standards; and
patient involvement in anti-fraud activity. The second objective was to assess
the extent to which hospitals have imple-