March 19, 2012
On March 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it will extend the deadline for conversion to HIPAA 5010 until July 1 and there will be no enforcement action against any covered entity that is required to comply with the updated transactions standards.
This is CMS' second delay to enforce compliance of the new standard which was originally set for January 1. The ACR has been working with the AMA to share the problems members have experienced stemming from conversion to the new Version 5010. Through this CMS has recognized that more time is needed for physicians and vendors to fully comply with use of the 5010 standards, especially since physicians continue to experience serious claims processing and cash flow interruptions.
If you continue to experience claims processing delays contact Cindy Gutierrez, senior specialist of insurance and practice management, at cgutierrez@rheumatology.org or (404) 633-3777 ext. 310, or file the AMA complaint form.
