Wednesday, September 17, 2003

U.S. Health Officials Warn of Potential Payment "Train Wreck"
September 11 Reuters Health story at Medscape - "With just over a month to go before the deadline for healthcare payers and providers in the U.S. to meet uniform federal standards for the transmission of electronic medical information, too much of the health system remains unprepared, federal health officials told reporters Tuesday. In August, said Leslie Norwalk, acting deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), fewer than 11% of Medicare claims were submitted in compliance with the "transaction and code set" rules under the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The codes are intended to provide a uniform way for computers that handle healthcare information to talk to each other, a goal of the "administrative simplification" sections of the 1996 law." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].