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E-Newsletter • April 2026 |
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Editor's E-Note
CMS is implementing a pilot program using AI for medical record review. The program aims to evaluate the possible role of AI in medical documentation management and processing. Although AI has the potential to streamline processes and relieve overburdened HIM professionals, it does come with some caveats. In this month’s newsletter, we’re taking a look and the benefits and risks of expanded AI use, as well as its HIPAA implications.
In addition to reading our e-newsletter, be sure to visit For The Record’s website at www.fortherecordmag.com. We welcome your feedback at edit@gvpub.com. Follow For The Record on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, too.
— Dave Yeager, editor |
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AI, Medical Records Review, and HIPAA Implications
By Elizabeth S. Goar
In February 2026, CMS awarded a $4.28 million contract to ePathUSA to conduct a two-year pilot program to test the viability of leveraging AI for medical record review (MRR). The program, part of CMS’s push to modernize its medical records management infrastructure, is meant to evaluate the role of optical character recognition, machine learning, natural language processing, and other AI tools in enhancing medical documentation management and processing.
The CMS AI MRR pilot offers several anticipated benefits, says Alexandra Moylan, an attorney, shareholder, and member of Baker Donelson’s Health Law Group and Data Protection, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Team. While AI-enabled MRR has the potential to make Medicare oversight faster, more consistent, and more sustainable for payers, providers, and patients, “HIPAA compliance considerations arise when sensitive medical records are processed through third-party AI systems,” she says.
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US Cancer Registries Stop Collecting Data on Transgender People
US cancer registries must now recognize only male, female, and unknown/not stated sexes in their databases, eliminating options for transsexual and other (intersex, disorders of sexual development), reports Breastcancer.org.
Getting Ahead of the New HIPAA Security Rule
Healthcare IT News offers practical steps you can take now to prepare for a proposed rule, expected to be finalized next month, that would significantly amend the HIPAA Security Rule. |
| Have a coding or documentation question? Get an expert answer by sending an email to edit@gvpub.com. |
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Innovaccer Launches Flow Capture
Health care AI company Innovaccer launched Flow Capture, an autonomous medical coding solution. The solution codes approximately 80% of encounters without human intervention and routes the remaining complex cases to certified coders with full AI-assisted context. Every coding decision includes a clear audit trail and mapped medical decision-making rationale, providing compliance teams with visibility into how and why each code was assigned. Learn more »
Nebraska DHHS Releases Cancer Registry Dashboard
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services released a new Nebraska Cancer Registry Dashboard, based on data from the Nebraska Cancer Registry for the years 2000 to 2023, that presents cancer incidence data, including demographics, trends, geography, and stage at diagnosis. Learn more » |
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