EDS LEADING MARKET IN PREPARING GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS FOR HIPAA COMPLIANCE.

Government health care organizations throughout the country are realizing increased business performance and operational savings as a result of the industry expertise EDS is delivering through its Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) offerings.

HIPAA is a federal act mandating that health care organizations make changes in their business operations and the technology that makes it possible to electronically exchange information. The standardization of financial and administrative transactions, coupled with security and privacy safeguards, is expected to reduce health care costs and eliminate the use of multiple formats for submitting claims electronically. Federal projections indicate that HIPAA compliance will net the U.S. health care industry $30 billion in savings over 10 years.

To date EDS is commanding a solid market lead in helping health care organizations realize such savings and digitally improve business performance. EDS has completed HIPAA assessments for Medicaid programs in California, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Private health plans Blue Shield of California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Iowa-based Wellmark and Medicaid programs in Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana and Oklahoma are turning to EDS to prepare for what some are dubbing the Y2K of the health care industry.

The level of detail provided by the EDS HIPAA assessment will allow New Hampshire to effectively select from a number of alternatives to meet HIPAA compliance and the departments long-term strategic goals. Results from the New Hampshire assessment include detailed mapping of thousands of data element combinations and codes sets and millions of lines of code, said Geoff Souther, director of the New Hampshire Medicaid program. It is a complex undertaking that should reduce the total effort and duration required to comply with HIPAA standards.

The American Association of Health Plans (AAHP) has named EDS a preferred vendor for HIPAA services. The company's HIPAA offerings are broad and flexible and include assessments, information assurance, enterprise application integration, clearinghouse services, system replacement, code remediation and education tracking and training. These offerings can be purchased separately or combined.

The EDS team in California has been very involved in many of the critical standards organizations. These groups are helping to shape the details related to HIPAA, says Judy Gelein, Chief, HIPAA Program Office, California Department of Health Services. EDS truly takes a lead role in trying to insure the HIPAA decisions meet the California Medicaid system requirements.

For Medicaid programs, the EDS HIPAA assessment addresses all areas affected by HIPAA standards, including transactions, code sets, security and privacy. Line item estimates are provided for each compliance requirement and enhancement opportunity. EDS directly links specific recommendations to HIPAA standards and to each impact component of the states Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS). This system is used to perform process management services, such as claims and financial processing, health care provider outreach and enhanced program reporting.