The new report from the OIG specifically recommends that CMS work with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology as well as hospitals to develop guidelines for using the copy-paste feature in EHR technology. The report also notes the ease with which duplicate claims can be processed.
The ABC blog post lays out the areas within anesthesia in which EHR technology can lead to reporting errors. These are:
1. Recording time.
2. Cutting and pasting from another provider’s entry in a hospital EHR.
3. When several physicians are involved in a single OR procedure.
The OIG has made it clear that it intends work towards strengthening fraud prevention and increasing data validity and accuracy. Anesthesiologists and other providers who are purchasing EHRs should take note of the OIG’s plans.
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