About 56% of surveyed physicians practices have not scheduled internal testing of new HIPAA 5010 transaction sets, while 8.3% of respondents reported that internal 5010 testing is under way at their organizations, according to a Medical Group Management Association survey.
HHS has set a deadline of Jan. 1, 2012, for using HIPAA 5010 transaction sets, which regulate the transmission of certain health care transactions. Industry guidelines state that hospitals and medical practices should have installed and tested upgrades with external business partners by Jan. 1, 2011.
According to the survey, nearly 13% of respondents said such testing is slated to start between July and September.
The survey also found that about 61% of respondents said their organizations had not scheduled external HIPAA 5010 testing with major health plans.
Meanwhile, roughly 23% of respondents indicated they did not know whether their groups' practice management systems require an upgrade or replacement to accommodate HIPAA 5010 standards.
Results are based on a survey of 349 physician practices that include more than 13,290 practicing physicians.
Source: MGMA, "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Version 5010, 2011"