Medicare Learning Network

Did You Resolve To Learn Something New This Year?
New Information Is Just A Click Away.

The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) web-based training courses are a perfect way to make good on that resolution. You can choose from a variety of courses that cover Medicare Program policy topics, ranging from general overviews to specific billing and coding information, as well as important education on new CMS initiatives.

You won’t have to miss a moment in the office because you can access any course 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—and it’s easy to complete the courses at your own pace. Each course is a compact learning opportunity; you gain a significant amount of information in just a short period of time. Stay on track with our Learning Management System. The System charts your completed courses and evaluations, and even remembers the chapters you have completed if you are not able to finish in one sitting.
Here is another benefit: many of our courses offer continuing education credits to help you meet academic requirements to obtain or maintain your license or certification.

And, remember—like all Medicare Learning Network products—our web-based training courses are free of charge.

Resolve to visit the MLN Products page today. Find out more information and click on Web-Based Training to get started!

HITECH/HIPAA Information Page

On February 17, 2009 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (a/k/a the Stimulus Bill) was signed into law. A subset of ARRA is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). The HITECH Act authorizes a $36 billion investment in Health Information Technology (HIT) and Health Information Exchanges (HIE) to improve quality, care coordination and to lower costs.

• The HITECH Act is divided into four parts:


• Subtitle A: Promotion of HIT


• Subtitle B: Testing of HIT


• Subtitle C: Grants and Loan Funding


• Subtitle D: Privacy

New Privacy and Security rules went into effect on September 23, 2009. However, HHS will not enforce the new rules until February 22, 2010. But some states are beginning to enforce the new rules effective immediately.

Below are four of the major changes to the privacy rules:


1. Creates new obligations for Covered Entities and their Business Associates and modifies individual rights under the Privacy Rule.


2. Creates new civil money penalties and enforcement mechanisms.


3. Applies HIPAA Security & Privacy Rule standards to Business Associates as matter of law.


4. Requires "notification" after a breach of "unsecured PHI" is discovered by Covered Entity or Business Associate.

The following link will take you to the HITECH/HIPAA Information/Resource page on the Highlands Wellmont Health Network (HWHN) website. In order to have consistent and updated resources we opted to place all information relative to HIPAA/HITECH Act on one site rather than duplicate this information at both the HPI and HWHN websites.

Click Here

CMS News from the Medicare Learning Network

The revised Understanding the Remittance Advice (RA) for Professional Providers Web-Based Training (WBT), has been made available by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Learning Network (MLN). Available for Continuing Education credit, this course provides instructions to help fee-for-service Medicare providers and their billing staffs interpret the RA received from Medicare and reconcile it against submitted claims. It additionally provides guidance on how to read Electronic Remittance Advices (ERAs) and Standard Paper Remittance Advices (SPRs), as well as information for balancing an RA. This course also presents an overview of software that Medicare provides free to providers in order to view ERAs. This training can be accessed by visiting http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNgeninfo/ and scrolling to the “Related Links Inside CMS” page section. Within these links, select Web Based Training (WBT) Modules and then Understanding the Remittance Advice for Professional Providers from the list of training courses provided.