On September 23, 2013, the new HIPAA omnibus final rule was issued, providing strict guidelines for law firms and healthcare providers to ensure patient's health information is protected. There are potential risks to law firms who use in-house staff to send requests and await responses from various healthcare providers. Instead, retaining an experienced medical records retrieval (MRR) company not only provides a cost-effective approach to collecting protected health information (PHI), it also lowers the risk and cost of HIPAA compliance records management.
Initiating a request, and subsequently collecting medical records throughout the United States requires an experienced professional. Because privacy laws vary from state to state, law firms must ensure that their MRR is cognizant of unique, and often more stringent, privacy laws across state lines.
While a dependable copy service is expected from any MRR firm, having a professional, experienced staff is absolutely critical. With a heightened focus on privacy rules, having trained eyes on each record to ensure accuracy and legibility provides an extra measure of necessary trust.
The impact of the new HIPAA rules combined with budget reductions at medical facilities results in less staff available to process medical records requests. This means relying on the MRR service providers who understand each healthcare location's system, and knowing up-front whether special direct authorization forms are needed. Getting information in a timely fashion requires a personal relationship with the facility staff.
Selecting the right MRR retrieval company provides another area for bottom line-focused firms to realize additional cost savings and profitability improvement. It's easy to determine ROI by calculating staff costs in hours and work left undone vs. the use of outside support for records retrieval. The message is simple - let billable people be billable.
There is nothing more valuable than time. Finding an MRR partner that can demonstrate speedy turnaround is critical. Imagine going from a 4 week turnaround with staff resources to less than 14 days with an experienced MRR service. On time performance with a history of quick turnaround are the core talents you should expect from your MRR service.
In today's digital, access anywhere world, you need an MRR partner with an easy to use on-line, web-based system for ordering and managing records delivery, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Proof of secure storage and documented backup is a must. From request to status tracking and reporting, the online process should be fast, easy-to-use, and frequently updated.
Even with a great user interface to a web-accessed system, there are times when you need to speak to the MRR to resolve issues. Look for dedicated personnel who are motivated and trained to support their clients. Learn the precise process from initial request to data delivery via the web.
Summary: Choosing to outsource medical records retrieval is a smart idea for law firms, insurance companies and healthcare providers. MVP Records Retrieval offers a secure easy-to-use service, with a commitment to fast turnaround, and a state-of-the art platform.
All work done in the USA - we don't outsource your work to an overseas vendor like many other record retrieval companies.
