HHS advisory group submits No Surprises Act data exchange recommendations

The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange advisory group yesterday urged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to work closely with standards development organizations and other health care partners to identify and pilot test appropriate No Surprises Act standards, harmonize them with existing and forthcoming standards and workflows, and implement them in stages. The letter also asks for extended enforcement discretion for the convening provider requirement until a standard is identified and implemented. 
 
“With no established standards and automated workflows, providers and facilities will face challenges identifying who the convening provider/facility should be, who the appropriate co-providers/facilities should be, how to collect [Good Faith Estimates] from these coproviders/facilities, and how to transmit GFEs to the patient’s health plan,” the letter notes. “…All stakeholders will face hurdles meeting the legislation’s deadlines to get GFEs and [Advanced Explanation of Benefits] to the patient.”
 
Terrence Cunningham, AHA’s director of administrative simplification policy, co-chairs WEDI’s No Surprises Act workgroup.