Industry Reports and Acts
iSekurity protects your identity
Over the past several months, MSDC has been researching a very serious and growing problem - Identity Theft. In order to help protect our members from this crime, MSDC has recently added a member benefit partner that offers a unique solution: iSekurity.
iSekurity is an Identity Theft Security firm comprised of the largest team of former United States Federal Agents in the nation, including the Secret Service, FBI, DEA, IRS, ICE, and Postal Inspectors. They aggressively investigate all crimes of identity theft against iSekurity members for two reasons: to get your life back to its pre-fraud state and to eliminate your risk of reoccurrence.
There are two lines of defense that were created to detect and or deter identity theft: credit monitoring and fraud alerts. These programs were designed by our government to be a free service. Unfortunately, millions of consumers use at least one of these and yet identity theft is continuing to escalate at an alarming rate. (Please see the attached for a full explanation of credit monitoring and fraud alerts). Even if credit monitoring and fraud alert systems worked perfectly, they do not prevent all forms of identity theft. They do not stop an individual from using your information to obtain medical procedures, liquidate your savings account, gain employment and subsequently leave you with IRS debt, commit crimes, commit insurance fraud, etc.
Secret Service statistics indicate that identity thieves will use your information several times during the course of their crimes. iSekurity’s answer: They will continue the investigation until there is enough evidence to assist in the arrest and prosecution of the criminal(s). This is the only true way to battle identity theft, to attack the problem at its source by investigating the crime and defeating the criminal(s).
iSekurity offers you other important benefits. Since your professional status allows people to assume you have a high net worth and good credit, disgruntled employees might consider you a desirable target for stealing your information. Once all of your employees know that you are protected by a team of former United States Federal Agents that aggressively investigate crimes of identity theft, they are much less likely to victimize you.
MSDC has negotiated special pricing for its members, their staff and family to enroll in iSekurity’s program. To learn more about issues surrounding Identity theft and to enroll with iSekurity, visit the iSekurity link at www.msdc.org.
If you have any questions, please contact the iSekurity Command Center directly at 877.838.5734 Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm EST.
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Getting an NPI is Free; Not Having One May Be Costly
If you are a health care provider who bills for services, you probably need a National Provider Identification number, or “NPI.” If you bill Medicare for services, you definitely need an NPI. The first step is to get your NPI. Note: once you obtain your NPI, it will take an estimated 120 days to complete the remaining work necessary for you to use it. This includes working on your internal billing systems, coordinating with billing services, vendors, and clearinghouses, and testing with payers. If you delay applying for your NPI, you risk an impact on your cash flow.
The Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) mandated that physicians and other health care providers obtain and begin using a National Provider Identifier (NPI) by May 23, 2007. This one number will replace all the assorted numbers assigned to you by Medicare, Medicaid and private health plans. The number will not change but will remain with you regardless of job or location changes. There is no charge for an NPI.
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You can apply for an NPI online or obtain a printed application that you can submit via mail.
To apply online, go to:
https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov
To obtain a printed NPI application:
Phone: 1-800-465-3203
TTY: 1-800-692-2326
E-mail: customerservice@npienumerator.com
Mail: NPI Enumerator, P.O. Box 6059, Fargo, ND 58108-6059
To read frequently asked questions about the NPI, go to:
https://questions.cms.hhs.gov
Enter "NPI" in the search box.
Electronic Health Record (EHR)
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology maintains a complete and accurate list of HIT companies that are certified for use in clinical settings. Follow this link to view their list:
http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert
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DC Department of Health Implements Physician Profile
The DC Board of Medicine (BOM) is preparing to bring its electronic physician profile online in early October 2006. The Physician Profile is a database of information that will include comprehensive information about a physician's education, professional experience, credentials and licensure status. The Profile will also include any adverse actions taken against a physician, including misdemeanor and/or felony convictions, actions by regulatory boards and malpractice actions. Physicians will have to provide detailed information to the DC BOM when applying for and renewing licenses. Doctors will not be allowed to renew their licenses until they complete the online profile. Detailed information will be provided in the renewal notices. Expect the renewal notice to arrive in October.
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INFORMATION on Legislation/Regulation Impacting the Practice of Medicine
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RESOURCES on Insurance Programs and Products
- Medicare Part D Toolkit (Link to downloadable toolkit on the web site of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
If you don't have Acrobat Reader on your computer, click here to download it free of charge,
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