For health plans and other entities that perform healthcare functions, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will soon have their numbers...their identification numbers, that is. The assignment of Health Plan Identification Numbers (HPID) is among the many aspects of the coming ICD-10 implementation and something we’ve known was on the horizon since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) decreed it so a few years ago.
While health plans bear the responsibility of applying for new, standardized identification numbers in advance of deadlines, providers like you also carry an important role in this process. You must be ready to use the HPID numbers in claims submission in compliance with these new regulations. Large health plans must obtain their HPIDs by November 5, 2014, small plans must get new numbers by November 5, 2015 and all HPIDs must be in use for the standard transactions by November 7, 2016. Applications for HPIDs are already being accepted and time will move fast as we head toward the 2016 deadline.
The ultimate goal in all of this is to make the healthcare system more efficient. Common, standardized numbers across the healthcare system will help all of us communicate and share information more easily. According to HHS, this will address current problems such as improper transaction routing, rejected claims and confusion about patient eligibility. HHS has stated the transition could result in a $1 to $4.6 billion savings over 10 years based on material cost savings gained from moving to electronic implementation and decreasing administrative time spent by providers interacting with health plans. In other words, new numbers should ultimately mean good news for providers who are always looking to make claims management more simple, accurate and effective in securing reimbursements.
Emdeon: Count On Us as New Numbers Come Into Play
Though the intended outcome is ease of information sharing, the transition to HPID may not be quick or easy. A new enumeration system is a foundational change for our industry, so we’ve stepped up to lead and are investing early to make this transition as smooth as possible for providers and payers.
We have team members involved in Workgroups for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) in order to provide our expert knowledge and guide decisions to ensure HPIDs can be properly interpreted by all parties involved in data exchange. Emdeon participants include Debbi Meisner, Vice President of Regulatory Strategy, Kelly Butler, Manager of Regulatory Strategy,
Rest assured, we’re on the case. We should be fully compliant with these changes up to 16 months in advance of required deadlines. That means your Emdeon claims management solutions will be ready to transmit these IDs, keeping you steps ahead of this major industry change.
Stay connected with Emdeon for ongoing news and updates related to HPIDs and ICD-10. Bookmark this page to reference the key facts you need to know: http://www.emdeon.com/5010/hpid.php.
Source
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/09/05/2012-21238/administrative-simplification-adoption-of-a-standard-for-a-unique-health-plan-identifier-addition-to
An HPID Update: What You Need to Know
