Government
HIPAA payment delay for noncompliant e-claims under fire
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 19, 2004
A plan to delay payment for electronic Medicare claims that do not meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act standards unfairly harms physician practices and other small entities that make up the bulk of those currently not in compliance with the transaction and code-set rule, according to testimony by the HIPAA Implementation Working Group, a coalition of medical organizations, including the AMA.
Group members told a Health and Human Services Dept. advisory body that the slowdown would disproportionately affect physicians and others, many of whom are still waiting on payers to comply with the rule and begin testing with them. The group recommended that Medicare maintain the current contingency payment plan for any practice currently following a compliance schedule.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/04/19/gvbf0419.htm.
