Halfway there

At least I think I am. If there are any "surprise changes" then I'm not. Otherwise I am. (My brain is becoming Jell-O, can you tell?) I have 100 charts to review. I have done 53 of them. I sent a sample to the attorney's office and to my manager this morning. My manager had some changes for me to do, but it only affected a fraction of the charts I'd done by that point. I didn't mind doing them. In fact, that's why I sent the sample. I wanted to find out today, not the day I'm finishing. Didn't hear from the attorneys. They have until tomorrow night to request changes without really ticking me off.

I wish I could tell you more about what I'm doing. Not because it is interesting, because it isn't. Just to be able to talk about it. But it involves patient charts and medical data and I'm bound by our Business Associate Agreement not to discuss it under the HIPAA regulation. Many people throw HIPAA around as an excuse. But a few years ago I lost most of my summer to helping write a HIPAA manual. I've read that damn 400 page regulation several times. The full blown puppy written by Congress. I can tell you the exact statutes that keep me from discussing what I'm doing. Or I could if my brain weren't cherry Jell-O.

Quoting HIPAA, that could be my talent in the Mrs. America contest. Hmm.

I also am under some ethical guidelines from the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants). But that isn't as exciting as HIPAA. Hey, did you know the Stimulus Package contained some statutes to further strengthen HIPAA? I like the idea of HIPAA, but some of the rules are a bit over the top. The new rules get even over the topper. By the way, it is HIPAA with two As, not HIPPA with two Ps. That drives us HIPAA Consultants bonkers. We do love a good hippo reference thrown in though. Some day I'll tell you about the travelling hippos we had in the office while we were working on the damn manual.

Do I sound impressive? Don't worry, I'm not. I'm just Freakmom with a strange little side job than one day may take off again. Some people work in libraries, some people are EMTs, some people fix things, I am a healthcare consultant.

Boy, I have rambled or what! I forgot what I was going to say. Something about working hard, Violet hanging out and playing, Mr. I.'s job driving him bonkers too. But I don't know what exactly. I think I'd better just hang it up for now and go get some sleep before the Jell-O leaks out of my head!