Coppersmith Brockelman’s Karen Owens gave two talks at the Arizona Health Information Management Association’s (AzHIMA) annual meeting, covering the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Anti-Discrimination Provisions and documentation for transgender patients. In the first talk, Karen discussed Section 1557 of the ACA, the first anti-discrimination law directly aimed at health care-related institutions and programs. Karen covered specific provisions affecting health information management professionals. Her second talk covered transgender documentation. Karen explored the complex issues involved in communications and documentation of names, gender, coding, and related information for transgender patients. Karen has extensive experience representing health care systems, hospitals, clinics, and other providers in clinical operations matters, including quality management, medical staff credentialing and peer review, confidentiality, and state and federal government regulation and reporting.  She also advises clients daily...

Coppersmith Brockelman’s Karen Owens recently shared her expertise about the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s anti-discrimination policies during a presentation to the Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys. She co-presented with Janice Dinner, Senior Associate General Counsel at Banner Health. The program covered Section 1557 of the ACA, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in a wide range of health programs and activities. It specifically addressed the obligations that Section 1557 places on providers, insurers, and health care employers in the way they interact with disabled people, those with limited English capabilities, and, at least at present, transgender people. Karen has extensive experience representing health care systems, hospitals, clinics, and other providers in matters of quality management, medical staff credentialing and peer...