HIPAA electronic transactions standard: An extension for the asking

Stopping the regulatory clock is a smart move for virtually all physicians covered under the rules.

Editorial. June 3, 2002.

Oct. 15 is a welcome point of certainty in the otherwise still largely unresolved matter of the the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is the deadline for physicians and other "covered entities" to obtain a one-year extension for compliance with HIPAA's electronic transactions rules.

Obtaining the extension is a smart move for virtually all physicians covered under the electronic transactions rules. (If you submit any claims electronically, the law applies to you). The AMA has been urging physicians both to obtain the extension and to use the one-year grace period to get their practices fully ready. Don't expect to get another chance at a further extension. Keep in mind that the penalty for not being in compliance and failing to obtain the extension can be severe -- exclusion from Medicare.

The easy-to-get extension can be obtained over the Internet or by mail. The best place to start is at a special AMA Web site or at the compliance extension Web site established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The application process is simple but does involve providing physician-identifying information and answering a few questions about how far along the practice is in getting in its compliance plan.

The AMA has worked with CMS to make the form as direct and to-the-point as possible. As the AMA primer on the process makes clear, "there are no right or wrong answers." [...]