Skip to content
7696

WEDI Presents at CMS Listening Session on X12 Version 008060. WEDI presented at a Listening Session conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Health Technology and Products on the topic of adopting the X12 Version 008060 standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. WEDI was invited to present along with the Designated Standards Maintenance Organizations: The Dental Content Committee; Health Level Seven; National Council for Prescription Drug Programs; National Uniform Billing Committee; National Uniform Claim Committee; and X12.

WEDI presented feedback from its June Member Position Advisory (MPA) event, which attracted more than 150 participants. The MPA solicited member perspectives and recommendations on the potential adoption of the X12 Version 008060 HIPAA Administrative Transactions and addressed topics including Version 6020 vs. 8060 for claims attachments, prioritization of transaction standards for potential advancement, potential impact of advancing to version 8060 on reducing manual processes, potential cost, vendor readiness, operating rules, and others. Access WEDI’s full remarks here.

WEDI Submits Comments to CMS on REAL Health Providers Act. WEDI submitted comments to CMS on the implementation of the Requiring Enhanced and Accurate Lists (REAL) Health Providers Act, Section 6220 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. Specifically, WEDI’s comments focused on provisions addressing provider directory accuracy in Medicare Advantage Organizations while reducing administrative burden. In its comments, WEDI supported efforts to improve provider directory accuracy, contending that data accuracy is essential for ensuring that patients can identify participating providers, make informed health care decisions, and access services without unnecessary delays or confusion. The letter outlined six general principles: (i) Improving provider directory accuracy; (ii) Minimizing administrative burden on impacted stakeholders; (iii) Leveraging existing authoritative data sources; (iv) Promoting standards-based data exchange; (v) Supporting thorough testing prior to rollout; and (vi) Encouraging public and private sector collaboration.

The comments draw from the work of WEDI’s Provider Information Subworkgroup, which focuses on identifying and addressing business issues that impact the transmission and receipt of provider directory data. We thank the Provider Information Subworkgroup co-chairs Michelle Berry (Availity) and Kay Ward (Lanyard Health) for their efforts in drafting the letter.

CMMI Director Sutton Highlights WEDI Member Town Hall. Abraham Sutton, Director, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and Deputy Administrator CMS, spoke at the June 29 WEDI Town Hall, a WEDI member-only event. Sutton outlined the current Administration’s priorities, regulatory direction, and the evolving policy landscape impacting payment and service delivery models, value-based care, interoperability, and data exchange. A special thanks to the panel of health care experts, Christopher Botts (American Medical Association), Summer Kahlon, MD (Cotiviti), Samantha Meklir (MGMA), and Aisha Pittman (NAACOS) who followed Director Sutton's comments and discussed the future of value-based care and alternative payment models. The panel was moderated by WEDI’s Value-Based Care Workgroup co-chairs, Julie Brown-Georgi (American Medical Association) and Michael Pattwell (Cotiviti). 

House Committee on Energy and Commerce Marks Up Bills on Price Transparency. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health marked up several bills that address price transparency and could be included in the budget reconciliation process:

  • R. 9390, “Prices on the Wall Act of 2026,” introduced by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) would require hospitals, ASCs, laboratories, and providers of imaging services to post on the walls of their facility the discounted cash price of CMS-specified shoppable services furnished by the facility.
  • The bipartisan bill H.R. 9392, “Medicare Advantage Cost Transparency Act,” introduced by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and co-sponsored by Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) would require encounter data submitted by an MA plan include specific cost amounts and information about at-home health risk assessments.
  • The bipartisan bill H.R. 9393, “Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026,” introduced by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and co-sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) would require hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), clinical laboratories, imaging facilities, and commercial health plans to comply with specific price transparency requirements.
  • R. 9397, the “Premium Transparency Act,” introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) and co-sponsored by Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), would require Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and certain commercial health plans to submit specific cost data to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and publish on their website.

ONC Announces One Billion Health Records Exchanged Through TEFCA. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced reaching the milestone of one billion health records exchanged through the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement™ (TEFCA®), the nationwide network that helps patients and health care providers securely share electronic health information. Within the last year, the number of health records exchanged through TEFCA has grown from 10 million to more than one billion. ONC has awarded a contract to strengthen oversight and support continued growth of TEFCA. ONC is also conducting additional reviews of Qualified Health Information Networks® addressing participants’ compliance with TEFCA’s rules and operating requirements.

TEFCA™ RCE Releases IAS Implementation SOP. The Sequoia Project, the TEFCA™ Recognized Coordinating Entity® (RCE®), along with ONC released the Exchange Purpose (XP) Implementation: Individual Access Services (IAS) Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) version 3.0. The SOP is accompanied by new Frequently Asked Questions about the updated policy. This SOP identifies specific requirements that IAS Providers are required to follow for individual identity verification when sending an IAS Query and identifies when a QHIN, Participant, or Subparticipant is required to Respond to an IAS Query. The SOP becomes effective August 3, 2026.

ONC Announces Publication of Approved SVAP Standards for 2026. ONC announced the publication of the Approved Standards Version Advancement Process (SVAP) Standards for 2026. SVAP provides a means for developers to adopt newer standards versions without waiting for regulatory updates to certification requirements. Beginning August 29, health IT developers participating in the ONC Health IT Certification Program can voluntarily incorporate the approved SVAP standards into their Certified Health IT Modules. The 2026 Approved SVAP Standards include:

CISA Issues Alert on Supply Chain Compromises. CISA issued an alert on multiple emerging software supply chain intrusion campaigns targeting developer ecosystems Continuous Integration/Continuous Development (CI/CD) pipelines. These recent incidents, including the GitHub compromise via a malicious Nx Console Visual Studio Code extension and the “Megalodon” supply chain intrusion campaign, demonstrate how cyber threat actors use tools and processes that support enterprise, cloud, and DevOps environments—specifically CI/CD pipelines, code extensions, and workflows. CISA urges organizations to monitor and audit workflow files and contributor activity for suspicious activity and revert unauthorized changes, especially those made after May 18, 2026. Additional guidance on these compromises is available in CISA’s alert.

Scroll To Top