Software authors can take advantage of services to design new functionality into their products. Practice management software and clearinghouse services will evolve over the next 5 to 10 years to offer new levels of productivity to their users. Many major payers are supporting the ANSI 835 (remittance), ANSI 270/271 (eligibility) and ANSI 276/277 (claim status). Consequently, immediate opportunities are available to differentiate software products.
The opportunities will evolve as support for these transactions among payers increases, and as the standards evolve to provide richer data content. For example, it is clearly the intention of the standards committees to expand the required data content of the eligibility transaction over time. Availability of new and richer data content will provide opportunities for expanded functionality of the software product.
Software authors who recognize the opportunities and envision the productivity gains possible for their customers can create products which both please and delight their customers, thereby expanding sales and market share.
Business partner Interhack Corporation provides HIPAA-specific Information Assurance services. Issues such as database security, encryption, audit trail design, authentication technologies, and web application security can all be addressed. Most medical software will require enhancement to meet the increasing demands of HIPAA.