The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has taken its national 5010 testing days to the next level: a whole week – Aug. 22 to 26 – dedicated to testing in advance of the Jan. 1, 2012 compliance date.
With just over four months left to the compliance deadline, National Version 5010 Testing Week is a chance for all HIPAA-covered entities – physicians, insurers, pharmacists, hospitals and others – to see if they are ready. Those that aren’t ready come Jan. 1, or who encounter unforeseen problems, may face payment delays. The testing week will allow people to see if there are problems and fix them well in advance of the deadline.
The new 5010 standards were mandated by modifications made to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA).
[See also: Healthcare payers making progress toward ICD-10.]
Participants should contact their Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to learn about the testing protocols. During National Version 5010 Testing Week, those testing their systems will have access to real-time help desk support and immediate access to MACs.
In its announcement about the national testing week, CMS noted that successful testing, whether done during the national testing week or not, is required before a trading partner may be placed into production.