facts. Fraud usually is committed to try to gain more money or some
other undeserved benefit. Fraud is illegal. When illegal acts are
committed or if two parties have a disagreement that cannot be settled,
the legal system might come into play.
The legal system, as you’ve learned, settles disputes and upholds laws.
Subpoenas are often used to present all the facts. A subpoena is a
document that is served to a person who is in possession of vital
information. This information might be in the form of medical records, or
it might be in the form of expertise in the field. If you are in charge of
records that are listed on a subpoena, you should make sure you are
authorized to release the records to the appropriate party, and then you
may do so.
Arbitration is used when two parties disagree and cannot settle their
disagreement. Binding arbitration means the arbitrator’s decision is final and
must be followed. In nonbinding arbitration, the decision of the arbitrator is
treated as a suggestion. Finally, you learned that sometimes a physician has
to go to court to provide medical testimony.
Now, let’s test your understanding of this lesson with a Quiz.
Please pause and complete online Quiz. Good luck!
Endnotes
1
HITECH Act Enforcement Interim Final Rule, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/enforcementrule/hitechenforcementifr.html
2
The Definition of Business Associate, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, http://www.hipaa.com/
2009/05/the-definition-of-business-associate/, 2009
3
Transaction & Code Sets Standards, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-
and-Guidance/HIPAA-Administrative-Simplification/TransactionCodeSetsStands/index.html?
redirect=/TransactionCodeSetStands/, March 22, 2012
4
The Evolution of the ANSI ASC X12N 837 format from the UB-92 Flat file format, Public Health Data Standards
Consortium, http:/www.phdsc.org/standards/pdfs/EvolutionofANSI.pdf, Jan. 13, 2004
5
The Privacy Rule, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/privacyrule/index.html
6
Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/privacysummary.pdf, May 2003
7
Notice of Privacy Practices for Protected Health Information,U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/notice.html, April 3, 2003
8
Summary of the HIPAA Security Rule, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/srsummary.html