An audit from the authorities is not good news for any chiropractor. It means that someone complained or there are valid reasons to believe that the practice is not complying with HIPAA and other healthcare regulations. Even if you are going to come out clean from the audit, you will have lost several days and appointments while the auditors ask you questions and look through your file.The best solution is not to give cause for an audit at all. And we will help you get there with actionable tips and, of course, with Digital Patient Chart – the only chiropractic software developed for practitioners like you and helping you stay compliant in your work.
What May Trigger an Audit in a Chiropractic Office
There are many minor causes that can snowball into a big issue before you notice. You are busy and get behind with administrative tasks. An unauthorized staff member looks at a patient’s file and discloses confidential information. You lose a patient file before the end of treatment. You use the incorrect billing codes for various types of patients. All these issues are usually the result of trying to do everything by yourself or with a very small team around you. This is why we created Digital Patient Chart chiropractic software: to be your own personal assistant, to keep your files confidential and safe, and to help you work more efficiently. Thus, here are some simple things you should do to make sure that your chiropractic office is not liable to be audited.
1. Use the Correct CPT Codes
CPT codes are used for billing various medical procedures. They are required by insurers who cover a part of the costs for the patient’s treatment. An incorrect CPT code will mean a different billing basis for the total price. And this mistake can turn out to be costly for your practice. These guidelines will help you identify the right CPT codes for chiropractic treatment. Once you input them in the Digital Patient Chart chiropractic software, you can easily select the right one and double-check before you save the changes to the billing document.
2. Maintain Proper Documentation for All Patient
The chiropractic software developed by Digital Patient Chart helps you access a patient file and add information to it very easily. Thus, you won’t spend more time than necessary to update the file for each patient, noting the treatment you gave them. This will help you prepare the progress report very quickly. Together with the self-assessment, you will ask the patient to fill in, you will always have full and complete patient records.
3. Change Your Passwords Frequently
One of the general best practices for digital documents stored in the cloud or on local computers is to change your passwords every once in a while. The ideal solution is to use a password manager – specialized software that creates strong passwords and stores them securely but conveniently for you to use. Digital Patient Chart chiropractic software and its dedicated cloud storage facility are as safe as your own passwords for accessing it. The same goes for the password to log on to your computer and the PIN code for your mobile devices.
4. Perform a Self-Audit Every Once in a While
After years of running your practice, you know the times of the year when you are less busy than usual. You should use these days to perform a self-audit before the authorities decide to do it.
What should this type of audit cover? First of all, review all the users of Digital Patient Chart chiropractic software. In some cases, a staff member left your practice, and you may have forgotten to delete their account. In other cases, you granted too many rights to a user who doesn’t need to access sensitive files. Next, randomly pick several patient files and see whether they are complete and up to date. Finally, review your internal policy and, if necessary, instruct your staff once again on how to interact with patients.
Don’t wait until your practice is flagged for lack of compliance – use Digital Patient Chart chiropractic software to manage your administrative tasks. Find out more: https://digitalpatientchart.com/