HHS PROPOSES HIPAA STANDARD FOR A UNIQUE HEALTH PLAN IDENTIFIER

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a rule that would establish a unique health plan identifier (HPID) for entities such as health care clearinghouses, third party administrators (TPAs), and repricers, that are not health plans but that perform certain health plan functions. These entities are currently identified in the standard transactions in the same fields and using the same types of identifiers as health plans, but are not health plans and so cannot obtain a health plan identifier. Based on the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) recommendations, HHS is proposing to adopt an “other entity” identifier (OEID).