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Monday, August 12, 2002
Final
HIPAA Privacy Rule Released
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
late last week announced the final modifications to the privacy
regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
of 1996. Hospitals must comply with the privacy rule by April 14, 2003
and small health plans have until April 14, 2004 to comply. The OHA,
Ohio State Medical Association and Bricker & Eckler LLP Joint HIPAA
Privacy Web site, www.bricker.com/hipaa/recentdev.asp,
has been updated to include the full text of the final revisions, which
will be published in the Federal Register Aug. 14. An HHS press release
and HHS fact sheet on the rule are available at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/.
(Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(Editor’s note: StateHealthClips.com has gone to a subscription service. Please note that the link to access clips will change daily. If you visit www.statehealthclips.com, you will be required to enter a subscriber password. No password is required for the link published in HEALTH e-NEWS Plus.)
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
HIPAA
Privacy Regs Allow Information Sharing
A life-saving project in Dayton will be able to continue
under final modifications to the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 privacy regulations, released late
last week, which permit the sharing of clinical and financial data for
research. The limited data set provision allows hospitals to continue
providing information critical to improving quality of care and outcomes
to their state and metropolitan associations.
At OHA’s urging, Rep. David Hobson (R-Springfield), the primary author of the HIPAA legislation, repeatedly contacted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson requesting the department re-evaluate the limited data set provision to allow the transfer of certain patient information, including postal ZIP codes, dates of birth and dates of service. He cited the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association’s cardiac care research project that for years has improved outcomes by sharing information with participating regional hospitals. The project has directly saved lives, improved outcomes, lowered average hospital stays and reduced treatment costs. OHA, the American Hospital Association, Ohio metropolitan associations and other state hospital associations lobbied Congress for inclusion of this provision in the final rule.
Hospitals must comply with the privacy rule by April 14, 2003 and small health plans have until April 14, 2004 to comply. The OHA, Ohio State Medical Association and Bricker & Eckler LLP Joint HIPAA Privacy Web site, www.bricker.com/hipaa/recentdev.asp, has been updated to include the full text of the final revisions, which will be published in the Federal Register Aug. 14. An HHS press release and HHS fact sheet on the rule are available at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/. (David Engler, davide@ohanet.org; Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(Editor’s note: The news clips are being password-protected on the OHA Web site. OHA members will be notified separately of the password. HEALTH e-NEWS Plus subscribers can still access news clips through the daily e-mail without a password.)
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Hospitals planning to apply for a new or renewal Foundation for Healthy Communities tobacco grant for direct services to uninsured pregnant women and children should wait for new application materials with a later deadline. New criteria are being developed based on feedback from previous grantees, which should provide greater flexibility for the future use of the funds. The current deadline of Sept. 6 will be changed to later in October.
Grantees awarded funds in fall 2001 should continue to complete expenditures of those dollars. Fourth quarter reports are due by Oct. 7. New or repeat grant seekers should continue to plan projects in the range of $25,000 to $50,000. If you have questions about how this change affects existing grants or want to be notified of the new deadline, please contact the Foundation for Healthy Communities Director Lynne Ayres at 614.221.7614 or lynnea@ohanet.org.
The Sept. 6 deadline for pulmonary rehabilitation tobacco applications remains unchanged. Use application materials distributed July 26 and currently posted on OHA’s Web site at www.ohanet.org/HealthyCommunities/. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@ohanet.org)
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(Editor’s note: The news clips are being password-protected on the OHA Web site. OHA members will be notified separately of the password. HEALTH e-NEWS Plus subscribers can still access news clips through the daily e-mail without a password.)
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Tom Scully, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will visit OHA Aug. 20 to speak to an audience of leaders from state health care organizations and state government health entities. Also in town for Rep. Dave Hobson’s (R-Springfield) annual Health Care Advisory Committee at The Ohio State University Hospitals East, Scully will address Medicare and what needs to be done to ensure the program’s solvency. He will also speak about ways to provide insurance to the current 41 million uninsured Americans. Space is limited only to a small number of guests. Please stay tuned to HEALTH e-NEWS Plus for more details on the discussion. (John Callender, johnc@ohanet.org)
Worker’s Comp
University Starts Soon
The Ohio Bureau of
Worker's Compensation is offering free classes at seven locations
statewide to help employers, health care providers and injured workers
more effectively navigate the worker's compensation program. Many of the
seminars offered are being submitted for contact hours and continuing
education credits. Topics include changes in Occupational Safety and
Health Administration record keeping requirements, workplace safety
resources, worker’s compensation fraud, employers’ and providers’
roles in injury management and more. Participants can register online at
www.ohiobwc.com.
Call 1.800.466.6292 or visit the Web site for more information. The 3rd
annual Worker's Comp University is available at the following locations:
- Sept. 17 - Cambridge
- Sept. 19 - Youngstown
- Sept. 24 - Columbus
- Oct. 8 - Cincinnati
- Oct. 16 - Dayton
- Oct. 17 - Toledo
- Oct. 22 - Cleveland
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(Editor’s note: The news clips are being password-protected on the OHA Web site. OHA members will be notified separately of the password. HEALTH e-NEWS Plus subscribers can still access news clips through the daily e-mail without a password.)
Friday, August 16, 2002
Time is running out for providers and other entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to apply for an extension to the October deadline to adopt standard transaction code sets.
HIPAA requires compliance with the Transaction & Code Set Standards by Oct. 16, 2002. Hospitals can apply for a one-year extension with submission of a compliance plan by Oct. 15, 2002, either by paper or preferably electronically at www.cms.hhs.gov/hipaa/hipaa2/ascaform.asp. By filing for the one-year extension, covered entities need to begin testing for HIPAA compliance by April 2003 and become compliant by Oct. 16, 2003. Providers not filing for an extension are required to adopt the new standards this October, thus it is in hospitals’ best interest to apply for an extension.
Resources available for implementation assistance include MedLearn, www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn; the Washington Publishing Company, www.wpc-edi.com/hipaa; the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange, www.wedi.org; and the Strategic National Implementation Process, snip.wedi.org. For more information, call the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Regional Office HIPAA Hotline at 312.353.1400 or e-mail questions to askhipaa@cms.hhs.gov. (Charles Cataline, charlesc@ohanet.org)
How Well Do You Know OHA?
Get to know OHA on the recently revamped “About OHA”
section online. Available at www.ohanet.org/about_oha/,
the updated section includes details on OHA’s exciting Strategic
Direction that invites hospitals to join OHA in creating a health care
environment where adequate reimbursement, health care access for all, a
committed workforce, hospitals leading the way to prosperous, healthy
communities, and Ohioans practicing healthy lifestyles are a reality.
Also available are new links to OHA’s 11 affiliated societies, a
committee listing, the OHA Board of Trustees, and OHA staff information.
DAILY NEWS CLIPS
(Editor’s note: StateHealthClips.com has gone to a subscription service. Please note that the link to access clips will change daily. If you visit www.statehealthclips.com, you will be required to enter a subscriber password. No password is required for the link published in HEALTH e-NEWS Plus.)