AMA advocacy leads CMS to announce another 5010 delay
March 16, 2012
The AMA has been working hard to share problems with the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) stemming from conversion to the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) electronic standard, Version 5010. CMS had originally delayed enforcement of the new standard from January 1, 2012, to April 1. Earlier this week, the AMA urged CMS to extend the deadline an additional 90 days to after June 30th. CMS immediately responded by announcing another delay in enforcement of 5010.
The AMA is pleased that CMS has recognized that more time is needed for physicians and others to fully comply with use of the 5010 standards, especially since some physicians continue to experience serious claims processing and cash flow interruptions. The AMA will continue to alert CMS to transition problems as we are made aware of them. Physicians who continue to experience claims processing delays are encouraged to file a complaint form with the AMA for help resolving their payment problems. Complaint forms, the AMA's letter, and CMS' recent announcement can be found on our website at www.ama-assn.org/go/5010.