CMS has
posted several Q&As on its website to answer providers' questions regarding
the impact of HIPAA on their ability to participate in quality
initiatives. Specifically addressed are
questions regarding when hospitals can provide protected health information to
Quality Improvement Organizations ("QIOs") on Medicare beneficiaries
and non-Medicare patients and whether covered entities are protected when they
make disclosures to QIOs. CMS also has
begun devoting the last half hour of its Hospital Open Door Forums to
discussion of hospital quality initiatives.
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