Is it time to take a fresh look at HIPAA laws and make some modern tweaks? That’s what more than 40,000 medical group practice leaders believe. Called the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), the group is meeting up in Washington this month to take a close look at HIPAA and its future.

Among the things MGMA wants to tackle, HIPAA’s protracted transition from the 4010 to the newer 5010 and 7030 standards is a concern. Additionally, standards like the federally mandated X12 275 electronic transaction regarding patient information is still lingering in an unpublished state. According to the director of MGMA, there has yet to be any fines when it comes to non-compliant health plans that have ignored HIPAA rules, as opposed to the strict privacy and security policies that exist. Additionally, health insurers have yet to support prior authorization transactions.

Another issue is the HIPAA attachment standard which despite its availability, an insurer may still request that additional documentation be taken care of manually and faxed, or sent to the insurer through conventional means like FedEx.

To read more about the MGMA and its efforts to revise HIPAA laws, please visit https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/momentum-is-building-to-take-a-fresh-look-at-hipaa.

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