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Untitled Document
Medicare Contingency Plan Does Not Mean
Physicians Can Relax HIPAA Compliance Efforts
[Posted 10/02/03]
The Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it will continue to
accept noncompliant electronic transactions after the October 16 deadline. CMS
made the decision to implement its contingency plan because of an unacceptably
low level of HIPAA readiness among providers and payors.
"Implementing this contingency plan moves us toward the
dual goals of achieving HIPAA compliance while not disrupting providers’ cash
flow and operations, so that beneficiaries can continue to get the health care
services they need," said CMS Administrator Tom Scully.
Medicare will be ready to process compliant transactions
on October 16, but it will also continue processing noncompliant electronic
transactions for a limited time. While this may sound like good news, it does
not mean that you can relax your compliance efforts. CMS has not indicated how
long this reprieve will last. CMS will regularly reassess the readiness of its
trading partners to determine how long the contingency plan will remain in
effect. Medicare providers are still advised to test and implement
HIPAA-compliant billing systems as soon as possible.
Additional HIPAA information and resources for members
are available online in the HIPAA Help Center.
Contact: Legal information line, 415/882-5144 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.
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