HBMA Plays Key Role in National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Hearing

July 28, 2010

The NCVHS invited HBMA to participate in the hearings alongside other industry participants and authors of standards and operating rules. As an advocate of the Administrative Simplification provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, HBMA initiated discussions by outlining some of the problems that have arisen since the original Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards set out to simplify administrative processes.

Presenting on behalf of HBMA, Jerry Killough, CEO of Clinix Medical Information Services LLC acknowledged as admirable the Congressional mandate that operating rules should enable providers to determine an individual’s eligibility and financial responsibility for specific services prior to or at the point of care. “This is a laudable goal, and one which we strongly support,” noted Killough. “But we must also acknowledge our concern about the ability of the health plan community to implement the congressionally mandated standards by the current deadline.”