It might get easier for your medical office to send healthcare attachments and electronic signatures.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has issued a proposed rule, “Adoption of Standards for Health Care Attachments Transactions and Electronic Signatures, and Modification to Referral Certification and Authorization Transaction Standard (CMS-0053-P).” If finalized, the proposed rule, would adopt standards for “health care attachments” transactions, such as medical charts, x-rays, and provider notes that document physician referrals, and office or telemedicine visits.
The modifications to the HIPAA transactions would support both health care claims and prior authorization transactions, standards for electronic signatures to be used in conjunction with health care attachments transactions, and a modification to the standard for the referral certification and authorization transaction. The is a part of ongoing efforts to significantly reduce paperwork burdens and empower health care providers to focus on direct patient care and streamline the care experience for patients and providers.
“The proposals in this rule would provide a valuable tool to support the electronic submission of health care information,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Health care providers are often forced to use manual processes such as mail, fax, or internet web portals when they respond to requests from health plans, leading to delays and less time for patient care. These important steps would promote more consistent and reliable communications among the partners involved in health care transactions, improving the care experience for all.”
HIPAA and the Affordable Care Act require the Health and Human Services Secretary to adopt a health care claim attachment standard. HHS is proposing these new requirements on HIPAA-covered entities, which include health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who electronically transmit any health information in connection with transactions for which HHS has adopted standards.
The proposed rule is available to review here, and the deadline to submit comments is March 22, 2023. CMS encourages comments from all interested members of the public, and in particular, from patients and their families, providers, clinicians, consumer advocates, health plans, and health care professional associations.
For more information on the HHS proposed rule visit: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/administrative-simplification-adoption-standards-health-care-attachments-transactions-and-electronic
