Was the Privacy Rule compliance date delayed by the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) that was enacted in December 2001?

Answer:

No, the compliance date for the Privacy Rule was April 14, 2003, or, for small health plans, April 14, 2004. ASCA does not apply to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Rather, ASCA delays compliance with the Transaction and Code Set standards adopted by the HIPAA Transactions Rule for covered entities that file a compliance plan.

More information about ASCA can be found on the web site for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Date Created: 12/20/2002