[From a press release dated 8 November 2004]

The Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12 and the Data Interchange
Standards Association (DISA) are pleased to announce the launch of the
ASC X12 Implementation Guide Request for Interpretation Web site.

The site initially gives visitors "access to the experts" in the ASC X12
Insurance Subcommittee (ASC X12N) for those Implementation Guides (IG's)
that have been adopted for use under HIPAA. The site allows for
submission of detailed questions about interpretation of these IG's.
While it does not replace the need for standards implementers to read
the IG's and do their own analysis, it does provide a location to find
resolution of issues of interpretations or inconsistencies within or
between the IG's.

The Web site serves as the interface to a database or repository of
questions and answers from expert volunteers within the Insurance
Subcommittee. As requests and responses are accumulated, the site allows
searching of the database and access to prior interpretations, making it
an invaluable resource for implementers. A further benefit of this
database is to help support industry needs by identifying areas of the
IG's that should be improved in future versions.

The HIPAA Implementation Guides Interpretations Web site is initially
located at www.x12n.org/portal .


[The complete press release may be accessed at www.disa.org/pr01.cfm .]

Dave Feinberg
Co-chair, HIPAA Implementation Work Group
Insurance Subcommittee (X12N)
Accredited Standards Committee X12
Rensis Corporation [A Consulting Company]
206-617-1717
DAFeinberg@...

P.S. Requests for changes to HIPAA Implementation Guides should
continue to be submitted at www.hipaa-dsmo.org/crs .

DAF