Why did Congress include the EDI transaction standards in the HIPAA regulation?
Electronic Data Interchange can eliminate the inefficiencies of handling paper documents, which will significantly reduce administrative burden, lower operating costs, and improve overall data quality. Currently, there are about 400 formats for electronic health claims being used in the United States. According to HHS, this lack of standardization: • Makes it difficult and expensive to develop and maintain software; and • Reduces the ability of health care providers and health plans to achieve efficiencies and savings.
