If you need help creating a Notice of Privacy Practice to comply with the HIPAA privacy rules, the federal government has developed model notices that you can customize, reproduce, and distribute either in print or electronically to patients.

The Health Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) give patients a right to be informed of the privacy practices of their health care providers and health plans and of their privacy rights regarding their personal health information. HIPAA requires providers and plans to notify patients of these rights. By using a model notice, you will know you are providing the information in compliance with the regulations and that the notice reflects recent regulatory changes to the HIPAA privacy and security rules.

You can download the model notice as a booklet, as a multipage document, as a single page presentation, or as text only.

APTA includes this and many other resources on its HIPAA webpage.

Beginning on "a date that will be announced in calendar year 2014," physical therapists (PTs) who order durable medical equipment (DME) for their patients will have to show that they met face-to-face with the patient within 6 months of writing the order. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has put off setting a deadline for compliance to this requirement, which was mandated by the Affordable Care Act, saying that some suppliers and providers may need more time to establish needed protocols.

Many providers and suppliers already know about and follow the policy, CMS commented in the September 9 notice, adding that they should continue to do so. CMS said it will address questions about the policy and will update its website at www.cms.gov/medical-review with any new information.