CMS Stands Firm on Implementation
of HIPAA Transactions Rule Date
August 1, 2003 - The Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) July 24 stated
that it did not have the statutory authority to delay the
date for compliance with the transactions and code set (TCS)
rules, although they did state that there would be some leeway
in the enforcement. In a related letter to Medicare Providers
CMS administrator Thomas Scully stated, "the Administrative
Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) requires electronic submissions
to Medicare effective October 16, 2003, with few exceptions."
During the July 25 Physician Open Door Forum, CMS officials
noted that the flexibility in enforcement comes from the fact
that HIPAA enforcement is complaint driven rather than surveillance
driven, thus there may be some flexibility in compliance.
However, the official exceptions stated in the rule only apply
to physician practices with fewer than 10-full time equivalent
employees.
Providers may contact CMS with questions about HIPAA by telephone
1-866-282-0659 or by e-mail,
askHIPAA@cms.hhs.gov.
Information:
Denise Dodero, Associate Vice President
AAMC Health Care Affairs
ddodero@aamc.org
(202) 828-0493
Get Washington Highlights
in your Inbox!
|
