Knowledge Center

Department Recognizes Need for Additional Time to Develop Standards

WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. 2, 2022 — WEDI applauds the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for issuing guidance that extends the enforcement discretion period for the convening provider provision of the No Surprises Act. The enforcement discretion was scheduled to end Jan. 1, 2023. The guidance states that “HHS is extending enforcement discretion, pending future rulemaking, for situations where GFEs for uninsured (or self-pay) individuals do not include expected charges from co-providers or co-facilities.” This policy shift from HHS follows the letter WEDI sent November 7 to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, where we called for this extension and urged additional policy changes.

Statement from Charles Stellar, WEDI President & CEO:

“The industry continues to make progress in developing data interchange standards to support the requirements of the No Surprises Act. We commend HHS for extending the enforcement discretion period and averting significant administrative burdens on providers. The HHS action today grants the time necessary to develop cost efficient solutions and implement supporting regulations.”

 About WEDI

WEDI was formed in 1991 by then HHS Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of health data exchange. WEDI was named in the HIPAA legislation as an advisor to the Secretary of HHS. Recognized and trusted as a formal advisor to the Secretary, WEDI is the leading authority on the use of health information technology to efficiently improve health information exchange, enhance care quality, and reduce costs. With a focus on advancing standards for electronic administrative transactions, and promoting data privacy and security, WEDI has been instrumental in aligning the industry to harmonize administrative and clinical data. For more information, please visit wedi.org.

Contact

Samantha Holvey
Director, Community & Education

WEDI

304.689.0900
sholvey@wedi.org