The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday put forth a new proposed rule that would modify HIPAA to better support both claims and prior authorization transactions – providing standards for electronic signatures to be used in conjunction with healthcare attachments transactions, Healthcare IT News reports.
The proposed rule is titled Adoption of Standards for Health Care Attachments Transactions and Electronic Signatures, and Modification to Referral Certification and Authorization Transaction Standard (CMS-0053-P).
If finalized, it would promote standards adoption for transactions with attachments for prior authorizations, including medical charts, X-rays and provider notes that document physician referrals. The modifications to HIPAA would also include a standard for the referral certification and authorization transaction.
The proposed rule could save $454 million a year in administrative costs, according to CMS, and is another instance of the agency’s efforts to reduce paperwork burdens and streamline provider and patient experience. Read more.
