Indefinite Delay Of Health Plan Identifier Rules

On Halloween, the Department of Health and Human Services announced an indefinite delay in enforcement of the health plan identifier (HPID) rules. As a result, large health plans are no longer required to choose whether to obtain an HPID by this Wednesday, November 5, 2014, or face the prospect of a $50,000 fine. The delay appears to have been motivated by a recommendation from the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, dated September 23, 2014, "that HHS rectify in rulemaking that all covered entities...not use the HPID in the HIPAA [electronic] transactions." The Committee had noted that "[a] consistent message heard strongly across the industry...was the lack of benefit and value in the use and reporting of HPIDs in health care transactions," which had been the principal purpose for implementing the HPID rules.