Biomedical subjects

E B McMahon

Publications and source records attributed to E B McMahon.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

HIPPA privacy regulations: practical information for physicians.

After much debate and controversy, the Bush administration announced on April 12, 2001, that it would implement the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy regulations issued by the Clinton administration in December of 2000. The privacy regulations became effective on April 14, 2001. Although the regulations are considered final, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has the power to modify the regulations at any time during the first year of implementation. These regulations affect how a patient's health information is used and disclosed, as well as how patients are informed of their privacy rights. As "covered entities," physicians have until April 14, 2003, to comply fully with the HIPAA privacy regulations, which are more than 1,500 pages in length. This article presents a basic overview of the new and complex regulations and highlights practical information about physicians' compliance with the regulations. However, this summary of the HIPAA privacy regulations should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on specific situations. Please consult an attorney concerning your compliance with HIPAA and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Growing pains: can any willing provider laws overcome the challenges of the teenage years?

Any willing provider laws were first enacted in the late 1980's as a way to combat the exclusion of providers from insurer and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) network panels. Generally, the laws provided that insurers and managed care organizations had to admit to their provider panels any provider who was willing to accept the entity's terms and conditions for participation. These laws face two significant challenges today: how to overcome Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preemption and the fact that the legislatures either failed to put limits on the terms and conditions that could be imposed or did not define what reasonable terms and conditions were. This article gives a basic overview of any willing provider laws, the ERISA statutory and case law that affects them, and the current problem of what terms and conditions imposed upon providers can be considered reasonable. It also summarizes many of the current any willing provider laws and notes which laws among those listed have been held by courts to be preempted by ERISA. Efforts have been taken to make this article current and accurate; however, they should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on specific situations. Because of the rapid pace with which these laws and the cases affecting them change, you should consult an attorney concerning the existence and validity of any willing provider and similar laws in your state.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

HIPAA update: standards for health care electronic transactions finalized.

The Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued the final rule that will govern electronic exchanges of financial and administrative information in the health care industry. About 400 different formats currently exist for electronic health care claims. Once compliance with this rule is required (October 2002 for most health care entities to which the rule applies), a physician will be able to submit an electronic claim in the standard transaction format to virtually any health plan in the United States and the health plan will have to accept it. Under the rule, an electronic transaction involves information exchanges between two parties to carry out financial or administrative activities related to health care. Thus, health plans will be able to pay physicians, authorize services, certify referrals, and coordinate benefits using a standard electronic format for each transaction. Conflicting state laws will be superseded by the standards, although HHS is developing an exception process pursuant to HIPAA. HIPAA required HHS to adopt data and format standards, if possible, that were developed by private sector standards development organizations accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). When conducting a transaction covered by the rule, physicians are required to use applicable medical data code sets as specified in the implementation specification that is valid at the time the health care is furnished. Local and proprietary codes currently used by health plans can no longer be used in electronic transactions governed by the rule after the compliance date (October 16, 2002, except for small health plans, which have until October 16, 2003). This summary of the Standards for Electronic Transactions should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on specific situations. Please consult an attorney concerning your compliance with HIPAA and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1984

Benign hepatic adenoma associated with oral contraceptive use mimicking pelvic inflammatory disease. A case report.

An increased incidence of benign hepatic adenoma among users of oral contraceptives has been reported by several investigators during the past ten years. The majority of patients present with right-upper-quadrant pain, often associated with an upper abdominal mass. Our patient had an unusual clinical presentation simulating pelvic inflammatory disease. The appropriate diagnosis was reached with the aid of pelvic and abdominal sonography, liver-spleen scan and culdocentesis. The definitive management is partial hepatectomy, although there are reports of complete regression without surgery in minimally symptomatic patients following cessation of oral contraceptives.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Repair of urinary tract fistulas with bulbocavernosus myocutaneous flaps.

Urinary tract fistulas resulting from severe trauma or pelvic irradiation are often associated with extensive tissue loss, scar formation, and fibrosis. Two cases, one with a urethro-vaginal fistula secondary to trauma and one with a vesico-vaginal fistula secondary to irradiation, are presented. In neither case could the bladder, urethra, or vagina be repaired primarily. Using a bulbocavernosus myocutaneous "island" flap, the fistulas were successfully repaired. The anatomy of the graft and the operative procedure are described. This new procedure should be considered in urinary tract fistulas in which there is extensive tissue loss and scarring.

Adult↗