Journal of AHIMA - April 2012

Everyday Risk

x Patient notification costs (e.g., employee time, printing,
and postage)
x Bill write-offs, if patient owed money
x Credit monitoring and identity theft monitoring for each
patient for a year or more
x Legal fees
x Forensic investigation
x Time and effort of staff
x Call center support for patients affected by the breach
x Media consultants
The soft costs tend to be reflected in a decrease in market
share. The problem is that it is difficult to discern whether that
decrease stems from the breach. It is somewhat uncommon for
patients to completely shift their care to a different hospital fa-
cility. Changing physicians is much easier. The rate of patient
churn is much higher than the average customer churn in other
industries, indicating willingness on the part of patients to move
to different providers.

Facing ROI Reality

The one certainty about ROI is that it will change and continue
to evolve as healthcare delivery, regulations, and reimburse-
ment changes and evolves. And HIM professionals are at the
center of its transition.

Notes

1. Office for Civil Rights. “Enforcement Results by Year.” www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/enforcement/data/his-toricalnumbers.html.

2. Tripathi, Micky. “First-Hand Experience with a Patient Data Security Breach.” December 3, 2011. www.histalk- practice.com/2011/12/03/first-hand-experience-with-a- patient-data-security-breach-12311.

3. Symantec. “2010 Annual Study: U. S. Cost of a Data Breach.” March 2011. www.symantec.com.

Jan McDavid is general counsel, and Rita Bowen is privacy officer and senior vice president of HIM, at HealthPort.

Measure twice…

How do you measure coding accuracy – missed revenue, RAC risk or objective review of your coder’s output? With the new government RAC audit and enforcement procedures mandated by CMS, the cost of coding errors may be more than just obvious, they may be catastrophic. At Amphion, we think it’s crucial to measure twice.

Amphion has provided over a decade of impeccably accurate coding expertise

Embrace change. Talk to Amphion.

through our skilled and constantly trained staff of credentialed US-based coding professionals. Whether you need assistance for seasonal spikes, temporary staff shortages or a thoughtfully designed pre-bill coding review program, Amphion has the xpertise. A quick call to Amphion today will provide you a critical second measurement and a better night’s sleep.