December 19, 2012
New fees will apply to fund several of the changes mandated by the health reform law – the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The fees fund patient-centered outcomes research, the Transitional Reinsurance Program and premium tax subsidies for individuals purchasing insurance through Health Benefit Exchanges. Fully insured plans will be affected by the following:
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Fee, 2012-2019
Transitional Reinsurance Fee, 2014-2016
Insurer Fee, 2014 – Permanent
To read more about these fees, click here
December 11, 2012
Protected Health Information (PHI)
HHS Provides Guidance on Methods for De-identifying PHI
On Nov. 26, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released technical guidance and a related
webpage regarding methods for de-identification of protected health information (PHI) in accordance with the HIPAA
Privacy Rule. HHS identified the Expert Determination Method and Safe Harbor Method as the two available
methods for satisfying the Privacy Rule’s de-identification standard.
HHS’ guidance explains both de-identification methods and provides information in a question and answer (Q&A)
format to help covered entities, such as health plans, understand the available options for performing deidentification.
Read More, click here . . . Ronstadt Insurance – HHS Provides Guidance on Methods for De identifying PHI
