Equinox Provider Practice Solutions recognized for program to protect patient privacy, prevent medical billing fraud, and comply with federal regulations
(Washington) – Today the Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA) announced that Equinox Provider Practice Solutions is now accredited under the HBMA Compliance Accreditation Program for revenue cycle management (RCM) companies (a.k.a., medical billing and medical practice management companies) and offered its congratulations. The HBMA Compliance Accreditation Program is designed to assess compliance with a range of federal healthcare industry regulations, including provisions to protect patient privacy under HIPAA, promote cybersecurity, and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in medical billing.
“EquinoxPPS has always been dedicated to supporting the provider community in maintaining compliance, patient privacy and supporting maximum reimbursements. Working through the certification process was an opportunity for our team to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring internal compliance and within the practices we support. HBMA accreditation provides us with confidence and reassurance that we are meeting our goal of commitment to compliance,” Nadine Smith, Partner.
“HBMA understands that medical billing and revenue cycle management companies operate in a complex, highly regulated profession, fraught with high consequences for failure. By achieving HBMA Compliance Accreditation, Equinox Provider Practice Solutions has demonstrated by independent evaluation that their practices surpass federal requirements to protect confidential patient medical information, secure their data systems, and prevent fraud,” said Emily Osetek, CHBME, president of HBMA.
The HBMA Compliance Accreditation Program is the result of the RCM industry coming together within HBMA to establish a process to independently assess the participating company’s program to fulfill its obligation to meet regulatory requirements. The HBMA Compliance Accreditation Program assesses compliance with HIPAA and with Health and Human Service Office of Inspector General compliance standards on fraud, waste and abuse; the Stark Law, which is designed to prevent conflicts of interest by medical providers in their prescribed patient care; federal Anti-kickback law; and the OIG work plan. The assessment under the HBMA Compliance Accreditation Program includes a comprehensive evaluation of the policies and practices of RCM companies with respect to employee training; security risks, including the security of confidential patient health information; documentation storage and handling; practices to promote compliance with federal regulations; disaster and emergency preparedness plans; and human resources practices, including background check procedures and onboarding.
The program was announced in April 2018 and was officially launched in October 2018 after beta testing by four HBMA member companies. Since that time, 32 companies have achieved HBMA compliance accreditation.
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About Equinox Provider Practice Solutions
Equinox Provider Practice Solutions (EquinoxPPS) is an RCM company based in Plano, TX that serves small and midsize medical practices of various specialties in the Southern States. For more information about our services, visit us at www.equinoxpps.com
About the Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA)
HBMA is a non-profit, member-led trade association of companies that support doctors and other medical providers by handling their medical billing and revenue collection processes, services known as revenue cycle management (RCM). HBMA works with legislative stakeholders and federal agencies in Washington, D.C. to improve the business of medical billing and the practice of healthcare. Since its inception in 1993, HBMA and its members have encouraged professional development and adherence to the HBMA Code of Ethics, advocated on behalf of the RCM profession, and promoted business development through educational events, networking opportunities, certification programs, and a wide range of affiliated vendor resources. For more information about HBMA, visit the www.hbma.org.