November 5 Deadline to Obtain HPID Delayed by HHS

Marvin "Bucky" Swift • November 4, 2014

On October 31, 2014, HHS announced a delay, “until further notice,” in the enforcement of the regulations pertaining to Health Plan Identifiers (HPIDs) and their use in HIPAA standard electronic transactions.  For more information on the HPID requirements, please see our October 1, 2014 SW Benefits Update, “ HIPAA Requires Many Health Plans to Obtain a Health Plan Identifier by November 5, 2014.”  This enforcement delay applies to all HIPAA-covered entities, including healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses.

The decision to delay enforcement was based, in part, on a recommendation by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), which is an advisory body to HHS.  On September 23, 2014, NCVHS recommended that HPIDs not be used in HIPAA standard electronic transactions, reasoning that the healthcare industry has widely adopted and implemented the use of payer IDs created by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, making HPIDs unnecessary and disruptive to current industry practice.  NCVHS also mentioned the challenges faced by health plans with respect to the definitions of controlling health plans and subhealth plans, and the required use of HPIDs for group health plans that do not conduct HIPAA standard electronic transactions.

HHS may have also decided to delay enforcement due to the difficulties many entities were having in completing the HPID online application.  HHS states that it will “review NCVHS’s recommendation and consider any appropriate next steps.”

Employee burnout: what it is and how to prevent it

By Mardy Gould • May 24, 2024
Employee burnout has become an epidemic in today’s modern workplace. So much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognizes it as an “occupational phenomenon.”1 While many used to consider mounting workplace stress an individual employee problem, these days, it’s become an employer’s responsibility to prevent burnout before it hurts productivity and business performance—not to mention your employees’ physical and mental health. Luckily, you can prevent burnout from affecting your workforce in several ways. This article will explore the causes and signs of employee burnout and the steps you can take to create a positive work environment where employees feel safe from toxic stress levels.

Form 720 and PCORI fee FAQs

By Mardy Gould • May 23, 2024
If you're a small business owner, you may have heard of the acronym PCORI and the fees that come with it. But what is PCORI, and how does it apply to your organization? Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sponsors of self-insured health plans must pay a fee to fund the federal Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). PCORI is an independent organization the ACA created to conduct research to help healthcare consumers make better decisions for their specific needs and outcomes. It also performs research related to clinical effectiveness. Employers offering a self-insured medical reimbursement health plan, such as a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), must pay this fee by July 31 each year via Form 7201. This fee was initially set to expire in 2019, but Congress extended it through September 30, 20292, due to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 20203.
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