Straight talk: new approaches in healthcare. Are you ready to send HIPPA-compliant transactions? Your cash flow is at stake. Panel discussion.

The deadlines are looming for compliance with the transaction and code set requirements set forth in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). If your hospital filed for an extension in October 2002, you need to begin testing transactions by April 2003 and sending transactions by October 2003. But don't rely on your technology vendors to give you the ability to send compliant transactions. While vendors can provide the correct computer data format, they can't gather the correct information. If you can't send a compliant transaction, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could reject your claims, drying up a big percentage of your cash flow.