May 2002 • Volume 8 • Number 5 |
Along the way to a smoother flow of electronic communications between physicians and insurers, a deadline is looming.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services wants medical practices to be in compliance with the transactions and code sets rules issued in 2000 to implement part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. If you're already in compliance, you're ahead of the game. If not, CMS is asking you to complete a short, simple form by Oct. 15 outlining your plans to comply by Oct. 16, 2003.
The rules apply to electronic transactions containing patient-identifiable health information -- such as health care claims, payments and referrals. The regulations establish standard formats for these transactions and mandate the use of well-known codes, such as CPT codes, instead of the local codes some insurers require.
The CMS form asks -- in multiple-choice questions -- why your office will not be complying with the transactions and code sets rules by this October, what range of expense (less than $10,000?) you might incur to reach compliance, what phases of implementation you've completed and whether a vendor may assist you.
To download the form and instructions, go to http://www.cms.gov/hipaa/hipaa2/ascaform.asp. If your office has a compliance plan, you may be able to submit it instead of the CMS form.
Tip: Check out the Family Practice Management article this month on conforming with the HIPAA electronic transactions and code sets rules. More information is online at http://www.aafp.org/fpm/hipaa.html.
FP Report is published by the
AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2002 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.