Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 - Electronic Health Care Transactions and Code Sets Standards Model Compliance Plan

In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) became law. It requires, among other things, that the Department of Health and Human Services establish national standards for electronic health care transactions and code sets. October 16, 2002 was the original deadline for covered entities to comply with these new national standards. However, in December 2001, the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) extended the deadline for compliance with HIPAA Electronic Health Care Transactions and Code Sets standards (codified at 45 C.F.R. Parts 160, 162) one year to October 16, 2003 for all covered entities other than small health plans (whose compliance deadline is already October 16, 2003). In order to qualify for this extension, covered entities must submit a compliance plan by October 15, 2002. Completion and timely submission of this model compliance plan will satisfy this federal requirement, and assist us in identifying and addressing impediments to your timely and effective implementation of the HIPAA Electronic Health Care Transactions and Code Sets standards. If you are a covered entity other than a small health plan and do not submit a compliance plan, you must be compliant with the HIPAA Electronic Health Care Transactions and Code Sets standards by October 16, 2002.

For general information about HIPAA and instructions on how to complete this compliance plan, refer to our website, www.cms.hhs.gov/hipaa. You can go to the website and submit this on-line compliance plan electronically, and we will provide an on-line confirmation number as acknowledgment of your extension. This on-line compliance plan is a model only, and is provided for your information. Covered entities have the option of submitting their own version of a compliance plan that provides equivalent information. Refer to the instructions on our website for information on how to file alternative submissions. For those filing electronically, your electronic confirmation number will be the only notice that you have received an extension. No other notice will be provided for electronic or paper submissions. If your paper plan consists of the equivalent information required by the statute (covered entity and contact information; reasons for filing for the extension; implementation budget; and the three phases of the implementation strategy) your plan is complete and you may consider your extension granted.