The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it will extend the deadline from Jan. 1, 2012, to March 31, 2012, for enforcement of HIPAA Version 5010, a more robust set of claims transmission standards.
The extended deadline is an opportunity to ensure that providers have met compliance requirements and to allow more time for testing. Office's EHR and practice management system vendors are a crucial part of achieving 5010 compliance, so they should be asked these questions before the new deadline:
1) Will you upgrade your system to accommodate Version 5010 transactions?
2) When will you upgrade your 5010 software?
3) What will be the cost for each upgrade?
4) What versions of your practice management system's software will you be upgrading to accommodate Version 5010?
5) Will the upgrades require any hardware upgrades?