Health Plan Identifier Required in HIPAA Transactions: Employment Law Manual Updated

Author: Gloria Ju

The health plan identifier (HPID) is a standard, unique identifier established under the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Affordable Care Act that eliminates the need for multiple identifiers and streamlines Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standard transactions. The HPID identifies health plans and other entities that perform health plan functions, such as third-party administrators and clearinghouses, in HIPAA transactions. An employer with a self-insured plan may be required to obtain an HPID.

Health plans must obtain their HPIDs by November 5, 2014. However, small plans ($5 million or less in annual receipts) have until November 5, 2015. The full implementation date for all covered plans to use the HPIDs in HIPAA transactions is November 7, 2016.

In light of these approaching deadlines, the Health Information and Privacy (HIPAA) section of the Employment Law Manual has been updated.