As noted in a similar message last October, many of you have asked for a
'HIPAA version' Implementation Guide that may be followed to
acknowledge transactions at a more detailed level than that allowed by a
TA1, 999, or 997 transaction. A draft X12 004010 version of such a
guide is now available for public review and comment as a key step in
its X12N IG publication process.

The public comment period will commence on 11 July 2005 and will close
on Monday, 12 September 2005, at 5:00 pm Eastern time.

The purpose of the X12N Health Care Implementation Guide and Application
Reporting (824) Implementation Guide, 004010X161, is to:
· Enable a receiver of an X12 transaction, related to insurance business
processes, to report errors that are outside of the scope of 997
transaction set error reporting, or to report the results of an
application system's data content edits of transaction sets.
· Report transaction errors related to the use of any other approved
implementation guide that does not have another standard vehicle for
the reporting of such errors.
· Supplement other error-reporting vehicles that may not provide for
reporting of every transaction set error.

Note that this 824 implementation guide does not replace existing
approved implementation guides designed to report transaction errors;
such as the 277 implementation guide designed for reporting certain
implementation-related errors and status in the 837. Nor does it
replace transaction-specific 824 implementation guides such as the
266/824 or the 148/824.

The authors of this guide will consider all comments following the
public comment period. Official work group responses will be posted to
the on-line conference at least 15 days prior to the corresponding
Informational Forum. This is X12's only unconstrained public comment
period. For a complete understanding of changes being suggested and/or
made to the guide, reviewers should monitor the on-line conference
during the public comment period and consider all author responses prior
to the Informational Forum.

An announcement of the corresponding Informational Forum will be made
later. The Informational Forum, held during an X12 Trimester Meeting,
probably the one during the last full week of September, 2005, [see
http://x12.org/x12org/meetings/x12trimt/index.cfm ], is the final X12
opportunity to comment: but only on modifications based on the received
public comments. After that, the guide is finalized for movement
through the Insurance Subcommittee (X12N) publication approval
processes; and perhaps proposal as a new HIPAA standard.

The draft implementation guide is available for free download at:
http://www.wpc-edi.com/HealthCareDraft.asp . Comments on the draft can
be submitted by anybody, whether or not an X12 member, via the on-line
conference at: http://www.wpc-edi.com/conferences/healthcare.html .

This Implementation Guide is the 004010 equivalent of the 005010 version
TR3 previously developed. Neither are counterparts of any that have
been adopted under HIPAA, and no official discussions regarding any such
adoption have been held. A factor in such discussions, should they be
initiated, will be any comments received. Voluntary use, once these
documents are published, is, of course, permissible at any time based
on negotiated agreements between willing trading partners. HIPAA is a
floor, not a ceiling!

Participation in the public comment period is open to all who may be
interested. X12 membership is not required. Please participate -- this
is the highest leverage opportunity for anybody outside of the authors
to impact this document.

Once again note that the document open for public comment is a version
'forty-ten' Implementation Guide.

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