New ICD-10 Compliance Date - Final Rule

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced a final rule establishing October 1, 2015, as the new ICD-10 compliance date.

The final rule, scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on August 4, implements Section 212 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014 which became law on April 1 delaying the ICD-10 implementation deadline from October 1, 2014 to October 1, 2015.

The final rule not only establishes October 1, 2015, as the new ICD-10 compliance date but also requires the continued use of ICD-9-CM through September 30, 2015.

The one-year delay in the ICD-10 code switchover will take a financial toll on the healthcare industry, according to CMS, which estimates the cost to HIPAA covered entities will be $1.1 billion to $6.8 billion. However, the final rule from CMS concludes that a one-year delay--as opposed to a longer delay--will be the “least costly and most fiscally responsible way to implement the requirements of section 212 of PAMA." Because a delay of longer than one year would slow or even stop progress towards ICD-10 implementation, the final rule establishes the “shortest delay permitted by law, which is one year.”

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Final-Rule-Establishes-New-ICD-10-Compliance-Date-48526-1.html

HIPAA/HITECH Omnibus Final Rule Makes Sweeping Changes

HIPAA/HITECH Omnibus Final Rule Makes Sweeping Changes

The 563-page final omnibus Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rule, published in January, makes a long list of significant changes to existing regulations. These include, among others:

• Modification to the standard for reporting breaches of unsecured personal health information (PHI).
• Extension of HHS enforcement authority over business associates.
• Expansion of the definition of the term business associate to include Health Information Organizations, E-prescribing Gateways, entities that provide data transmission services for PHI and which require routine access to such PHI, and personal health record vendors.
• Modifications to the requirements for business associate agreements.
• New obligations for business associates to enter into business associate agreements with their own subcontractors.
• Removal of limitations on the liability of covered entities for the acts and omissions of business associates.
• Changes to the requirements for notices of privacy practices.
• New limitations on the sale of PHI.
• New limitations on and clarifications concerning the use and disclosure of PHI for marketing.
• Relaxation of certain limitations on the use of PHI for fundraising.
• Improvement to the regulations concerning authorizations for the use or disclosure of PHI for research.

The deadline for complying with the amended HIPAA regulations is September 23, 2013, except for provisions related to the requirements for business associate agreements and to arrangements relating to the sale of PHI. Those specific provisions allow existing agreements in effect prior to January 25, 2013, to continue through September 22, 2014, unless modified or amended within one year before that date.  

To review the final rule indepth, published at 78 Fed. Reg. 5566 (Omnibus Rule), visitFederalRegister.gov.

http://www.dpath.com/news/docs/2013_V12_I03(1).htm