X12 5010 Changes Again
Last Updated on Saturday, 15 August 2009 18:22
4010 to 5010, why now, and why me? The reality is that the HIPAA regulations were not designed to be a single change but rather a series of changes to get the healthcare industry communicating at a consistent language. The first major step was to start down the path of speaking X12 or ANSI in all electronic financial communications. This step was done in a way to minimize the overall impact of the initial changes. The industry now faces the next major change with the jump from 4010 to 5010 standards. The first step made sure the industry was talking the same language, the 5010 standard is geared towards insuring the industry interprets the fields in the same manner. This next step will make it easier to communicate seamlessly between multiple payers or other healthcare entities.
Why won't this one be as painful? Time will tell, but this change should be less burdensome for all entities. Granted, any time you change a computer system, there is normally a time when waves of issues occur and in time settle into a rhythm. The recent delay from CMS and the clarification associated with testing were both designed to have this ripple occur under testing environments. If all healthcare entities maximize the opportunity for testing there should be far less risk associated with healthcare AR this time around. Add to that, these changes are far less dramatic this time around.
How can you help minimize risk? Talk to your vendor about Level 1 and Level 2 compliance and their plan around testing. Make sure you understand what responsibilities you have under their plan, then establish your plan of attack. Remember, this event is different than the 4010, and the more recent NPI event, so while lessons learned from both will be helpful to keep in the back of your mind, keeping an open mind this time around will help you manage through this change without adding on unnecessary burdens. Good Luck!
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