NCVHS To Address ICD-10 Implementation Beyond Covered Entities

CONCORD, Calif., Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Jopari Solutions, a principal supplier of integrated medical transaction EDI services to the Property & Casualty and healthcare industries, announced that Jopari Executive Vice President Sherry Wilson and Senior Vice President Don St. Jacques will contribute testimony at the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) Subcommittee on Standards Hearing, convening February 19^th in Washington D.C.  

NCVHS was established by Congress to serve as an advisory body to the Department of Health and Human Services on health data, statistics and national health information policy. This important NCVHS Hearing will address "Implementation of ICD-10  Beyond Covered Entities", in conjunction with discussions centering on the current status of HIPAA and ACA Administrative Simplification. Testimony on non-covered entities will address three critical areas: the present state of adoption of ICD-10 by Property & Casualty and Workers' Compensation carriers and TPAs; the impact non-adoption of ICD-10 will impose on these non-covered entities after the October 1, 2014 ICD-10 effective date; and the status of planning scenarios for handling P&C claims (bills) with and without P&C industry adoption of ICD-10 codes, after the effective date.

There are 20 states at this time that have and/or are planning to be aligned with the Federal ICD-10 requirements with an Effective Date of October 1, 2014.    

Ms. Wilson, EVP and Chief Compliance Officer of Jopari, will present testimony as Co-Chair of the WEDI Property and Casualty eBilling Workgroup, in conjunction with Co-Chair Tina Greene, Senior Regulatory Consultant of Mitchell International.  The Property & Casualty presentation will be made by Mr. St. Jacques, Jopari's national leader of business development and client services.      

Testimony by Ms. Wilson and Mr. St. Jacques will address the complex challenges facing ICD-10 adoption by non-covered stakeholders.  They will emphasize that without state regulators being actively involved in expediting ICD-10 transition by the Property & Casualty industry, conflicting ICD-9 and ICD-10 standards after the 10/1/14 effective date will impose unnecessary administrative burdens, cost increases and possible delays in as well as compromises to patient care.

Aside from the urgency of ICD-10 readiness regardless of covered or non-covered status, Ms. Wilson and Mr. St. Jacques also will speak to the fact that P&C stakeholders, irrespective of non-covered status, will be confronted soon with their own ICD-10 requirements arising from revisions to Medicare's Mandatory Insurer Reporting for Non-Group Health Plans.  Under Medicare, P&C carriers and TPAs are considered Responsible Reporting Entities (RRE's) with respect to mandatory reporting, and as such are obligated to report claims that may have impacted Medicare beneficiaries. The recently updated reporting requirements make the ICD-10 standard applicable to all RRE reported claims paid after 10/1/14, and mandatory beginning April 1, 2015.

All NCVHS meetings are open to the public.  Additional information on the February 19^th Hearing is available at http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/140219ag.htm .

ABOUT JOPARI
Jopari Solutions, Inc. is a healthcare technology company supplying integrated eBill compliance and payment products for the Property & Casualty industry's Workers' Compensation and Auto Medical markets, as well as for healthcare Payers and Providers in the Group Health insurance sector.   Jopari has established an extensive connectivity network directly with Providers, Practice Management Systems and Clearinghouses, and offers innovative solutions to assist with the management of attachments.  Jopari significantly enhances Payers' ability to manage medical bills and disbursements, allowing significant reductions in associated expenses in addition to full compliance with applicable federal rules and jurisdiction eBill/ePay regulatory requirements.  Jopari maintains best practice SSAE 16 Type II attested internal controls.  For more information, please visit www.jopari.com, email [email protected], or call 800.903.7799 ext. 5213.

SOURCE Jopari Solutions