About ANSI 5010 and ICD-10
As you likely know, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has mandated that all "covered entities" (clearinghouses, providers, insurers, etc. who have access to digital personal health care data) convert to the new ANSI 5010 transaction set by Jan. 1, 2012. These are the electronic transactions used to transmit member and provider data between those covered entities. (There's an even more complex transition involving diagnosis and procedural codes set to begin Oct. 1, 2013.)
ANSI 5010 will have very little impact, if any, on most employer groups. It may impact those groups (estimated at fewer than two percent) that transmit benefit enrollment and disenrollment data using the 834 ANSI transaction. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) has already contacted these employer groups to inquire if they're planning to convert to this transaction set. The impact that ICD-10 will have on employer groups is still being reviewed.
BCBSTX is firmly committed and on schedule to meet all compliance dates — ANSI 5010 by Jan. 1, 2012 and ICD-10 by Oct. 1, 2013. Employers can e-mail ansi_icd@bcbstx.com with any questions.
