HIPAA Office Archive

• About the HIPAA Office
• DHS business decisions
• HIPAA communications
• HIPAA Task Force
• CMS updates
• Organizations supporting HIPAA implementation
• Links and resources

This page is an historical archive for information formerly maintained by the DHS HIPAA Project Office. For current information about Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), go to the other Web pages on this site or contact DHS EDI Support Services  (888-690-9888).

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About the HIPAA Project Office

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the first comprehensive federal protection of individual privacy. The U.S. Congress passed the act in 1996. It also sets national standards to protect personal health information, reduces health care fraud and waste through standardized electronic transactions and codes, and makes health coverage more portable.
 
Prior to HIPAA implementation in 2003, consumers' health records were vulnerable to access without their knowledge, making this personal information not as safe and secure as it should be. Thus, the changes required by HIPAA impact the entire health care industry including health plans, hospitals, clearinghouses, and government agencies - like DHS - among others.
 
While DHS has long been committed to protecting client confidentiality, HIPAA provides an opportunity to improve procedures and coordinate policies across the department.
 
The DHS HIPAA Project Office was responsible for implementing standardized electronic health care transactions and codes. That role has since been taken by DHS EDI Support Services. The DHS Office of Information Security/Privacy continues to monitor and address HIPAA privacy and security rule compliance. 

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DHS business decisions

DHS faced some unique requirements with the systems that it operates. Review the DHS Business Rules and Decisions adopted with provider input. 

HIPAA communications

• HIPAA monthly messages
  • 2003 
  • 2004
  • 2005
• HIPAA Good Faith Policy and Trading Partner Agreement (TPA) submission due date letter (pdf) - August 28, 2003
• Transaction progress reports for trading partners (2004 - 2005)
• Service Continuation Plan Version 2.2 (pdf) -  March 2005
• Transaction and Code Sets Implementation Schedule (pdf) - April 20, 2005
• Update on 270/271 transaction timelines (pdf) – May 2005
• HIPAA Status Report (pdf) - May 2005
• EDI Quarterly Exchange (2006)

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HIPAA Task Force

The DHS HIPAA Task Force was an advisory body consisting of Prepaid Health Plan representatives who met monthly on HIPAA-related activities and reported to the Prepaid Health Plan Contractors.

• Task Force Requested Q&A - 06/15/2005 (pdf)
• DHS Transaction Status Reports for HIPAA Task Force

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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updates

• Frequently asked questions and answers from CMS
• Guidance and compliance with HIPAA transaction & code sets (pdf) - July 24, 2003
• Medicare announces plan to accept HIPAA non-compliant electronic transactions after Oct. 16 deadline (pdf) - Sept. 23, 2003

Organizations supporting HIPAA implementation

Inclusion of these links does not imply any endorsement by DHS of services or products that may be advocated or advertised on these Web sites or others to which they are linked.

• Community Health Information Technology Alliance
• Oregon and SW Washington HIPAA Forum
• The Oregon Medical Association (OMA) - For information on the OMA’s HIPAA implementation efforts, contact Paul Frisch, Coordinator.
• Washington Publishing publishes all implementation guides.
• WEDI (Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange).

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Links and resources

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