The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) has been advised by the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to remind educational agencies that are providing services under Medicaid of an upcoming compliance deadline related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Under HIPAA, October 16, 2002, was the original deadline to comply with new national standards for electronic health care transactions and code sets. This deadline was extended by the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) of 2001 for one year, to October 16, 2003, if appropriate action is taken to qualify for an extension. Specifically, a HIPAA compliance plan must be filed by October 16, 2002, to qualify for the extension.
Education agencies providing services under Medicaid who desire a one-year extension should access the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at http://cms.hhs.gov/hipaa/hipaa2/ASCAForm.asp to electronically file for the one-year extension. Instructions for completing the filing process are included at the website along with the necessary electronic forms. Medicaid service providers who fail to satisfy the federal compliance plan requirement must be in complete HIPAA compliance by October 16, 2002.
The ADE strongly urges all LEAs and Education Service Cooperatives who provide services under Medicaid to complete the model compliance plan on the CMS website and obtain a one-year extension.