Health Information Management

MGMA letter: Claims attachment rule should give providers extra time

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, January 30, 2006

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should stagger the compliance deadlines for the transition to the HIPAA claims attachment standard, according to a recent comment letter from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). The letter specified that CMS should give healthcare providers a year longer than clearinghouses and payers to comply with the rule.

In addition, the letter calls for CMS to provide incentives to physicians for adopting the standards. "While medical practices typically absorb the cost of purchasing the health information technology necessary for e-health technologies, many of the benefits accrue to others in the system," wrote William F. Jessee, MD, FACPME, MGMA's president and CEO.

Jessee also asked CMS to

  • make the standards flexible and scalable
  • provide guidance on how the "minimum necessary" provision affects claims attachments
  • continue to consult with the physician community

Click here to read Jessee's letter.



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