Industry Insight

Prader-Willi Syndrome Receives Specific ICD-10 Code

The National Center for Health Statistics has designated a specific ICD-10 code for Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Previously PWS was included as one of number of genetic disorders ICD-10-CM code Q87.1, which contains a large group of genetic disorders associated with short stature. However, the genetic causes, medical complications, and treatment of these disorders are very different.

As of October 1, PWS has a unique code. The new, dedicated ICD-10-CM code for PWS (Q87.11 Prader-Willi syndrome) will make it much easier to track medical care and outcomes in the PWS population. This designation will facilitate research studies aimed at understanding the true prevalence of PWS, the factors contributing to morbidity and mortality, and the outcomes of patient care and treatment.

“We’re thrilled to have this unique ICD-10 code for PWS, which will facilitate research studies and improve patient care,” says Theresa Strong, PhD, director of research programs at the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research. “The new ICD-10 code will allow scientists to conduct epidemiologic research on PWS, determine true mortality rates, recruit patients for clinical trials, track outcomes of clinical interventions, and develop protocols for standard of care,” Strong says.

“We’re grateful to the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) and the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organisation who partnered with us to advance the ICD-10 proposal, to the many PWS experts who contributed to the development of the proposal, and to Dr. Dan Driscoll, who presented the proposal to the ICD-10-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee,” Strong adds.

— Source: Foundation for Prader-Willi Research

Digital Assistant Company Raises Additional $11.5 Million

Robin Healthcare, a health technology company that provides a digital assistant service elegantly leveraging human and artificial intelligence (AI) to free physicians from paperwork, announces the close of $11.5 million in Series A funding led by Norwest Venture Partners. The latest round brings Robin’s total funding to $15 million. In addition, Robin announces the launch of partnerships with several leading academic and private medical practices across the United States, and named Tom Gruber, PhD, cofounder and former chief technology officer (CTO) of Siri, as a formal advisor.

“With Robin, doctors are free to focus on their patients rather than computer screens and get a note that’s actually useful,” says Noah Auerhahn, cofounder and CEO of Robin. “Using natural language processing, machine learning, and human-centered design, Robin is reconceptualizing clinical documentation and making health information more effective. This new infusion of capital will help us forge a path toward eliminating administrative overhead for doctors and improving patient care. Furthermore, Robin’s ongoing relationships with premier institutions accelerates product development cycles, allowing us to deliver more value to clinicians and health systems.”

Robin’s platform addresses the incredible burden doctors face daily to complete clinical documentation and administrative work. The average physician now spends two hours on paperwork and screen time for every hour of patient care. These tasks distract them from patients in the office and follow them home at night, and as a result more than 50% of doctors are experiencing burnout. Moreover, the resulting documentation is not ideal for patient care. It is frequently riddled with errors and warped to serve insurance and regulatory requirements rather than its original purpose—to help doctors take care of patients.

Robin places its HIPAA-compliant Robin Assistant device unobtrusively in the exam room and writes high-quality, fully billable clinical notes based on audio and optional video of a physician’s natural interaction with patients. Using ambient Conversational Speech Recognition, Robin works without wake words, specialized vocabulary, dictation, or other workflow changes. The platform blends cutting-edge AI technology with quality assurance by trained health care staff to produce doctors’ notes, integrating directly with EMRs and securing all patient data with end-to-end, military-grade encryption. Physicians who use Robin in their clinics simply review and sign their notes; they save precious time, see more patients, and enjoy higher satisfaction in their work.

Additionally, Tom Gruber joins Robin as a formal advisor. Gruber was cofounder, CTO, and head of design for the team that created Siri, the intelligent assistant. At Apple for more than eight years, Gruber led the Advanced Development Group that designed and prototyped new capabilities for Siri and related products that bring intelligence to the interface.

— Source: Robin Healthcare

Failure to Encrypt Mobile Devices Leads to $3 Million HIPAA Settlement

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has agreed to pay $3 million to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at Health and Human Services (HHS) and take substantial corrective action to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. URMC includes health care components such as the School of Medicine and Dentistry and Strong Memorial Hospital. URMC is one of the largest health systems in New York State with more than 26,000 employees.

URMC filed breach reports with OCR in 2013 and 2017 following its discovery that protected health information (PHI) had been impermissibly disclosed through the loss of an unencrypted flash drive and theft of an unencrypted laptop, respectively. OCR’s investigation revealed that URMC failed to conduct an enterprisewide risk analysis, implement security measures sufficient to reduce risks and vulnerabilities to a reasonable and appropriate level, utilize device and media controls, and employ a mechanism to encrypt and decrypt electronic PHI when it was reasonable and appropriate to do so. Of note, in 2010, OCR investigated URMC concerning a similar breach involving a lost unencrypted flash drive and provided technical assistance to URMC. Despite the previous OCR investigation, and URMC’s own identification of a lack of encryption as a high risk to electronic PHI, URMC permitted the continued use of unencrypted mobile devices.

“Because theft and loss are constant threats, failing to encrypt mobile devices needlessly puts patient health information at risk,” says Roger Severino, JD, OCR director. “When covered entities are warned of their deficiencies, but fail to fix the problem, they will be held fully responsible for their neglect.”

In addition to the monetary settlement, URMC will undertake a corrective action plan that includes two years of monitoring their compliance with the HIPAA Rules. The resolution agreement and corrective action plan may be found at www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/urmc/index.html.

— Source: Health and Human Services