Washington
The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics last month advised the U.S. Health and Human Services Department not to delay the “transaction and code set” deadline of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, the committee explained that delaying the Oct. 16, 2003, deadline would punish those who are following the rules. “The committee feels that … it's important to proceed with implementation,” said a staff member for the NCVHS.
Softening the impact of this resolute stance, the committee recommended that HHS allow “substantial flexibility,” as covered entities work to come into compliance.
Such non-punitive language echoed a message that a representative from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services delivered to attendees at a June 3 HIPAA-implementation seminar sponsored by the American Association for Homecare. There, speaker Lori Davis from CMS' Office of HIPAA Standards assured providers that HIPAA enforcement will focus on education, not punishment. “Only the willfully non-compliant will receive monetary penalties,” Davis said.
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