Workgroup For Electronic Data Interchange - WEDI 1992 Report Highlights

WEDI 1992 Report Highlights

In July 1992, WEDI published a report that outlined the steps necessary to make electronic data interchange (EDI) a routine business practice for the health care industry by 1996. The Workgroup envisioned the entire health care industry transacting business electronically, under a nationwide set of coding and format standards for all transactions. The transaction records would be transmitted electronically, in a secure manner to protect privacy, over private and public interconnecting networks like the internet and intranet. In the year following the publication of the WEDI report, the health care industry made substantial gains with EDI implementation:

• ANSI ASC X12 approved the claim and eligibility standards for trial use

• The Insurance Subcommittee of ANSI ASC X12 formed new workgroups to develop other standards required by the health care industry

• HCFA initiated the use of Health Care Claim and Health Care Claim Payment/Advice standards and developed Efforts toward standardizing data content increased. EDI implementation guidelines for Medicare Part A Intermediaries and Part B Carriers consistent with the ANSI ASC X12 standards

• The private sector began developing EDI implementation guides

• EDI awareness and participation heightened as well as efforts to standardize data content