A:
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Claims Attachments Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) (CMS-005-0-F) in the Federal Register in September 2005. However, that NPRM was withdrawn in 2010 because of technology and business need changes. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known as ACA) requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish a Final Rule to adopt a Claims Attachment Standard and Operating Rules by January 2014 with an effective date not later than January 2016. Please note, while originally called "Claims Attachments" the health care industry has shifted toward the phrase "Clinical Attachments" to reflect the broader usage of the standard for purposes including but not limited to claims, referrals, and requests for pre-authorization. On 5 July 2016, National Committee on Vital and Health Services (NCVHS), the statutory advisory committee responsible for providing recommendations on health information policy and standards to HHS, recommended HHS publish a Final Rule to adopt a Clinical Attachment standard. As of January 2017, a Final Rule to adopt a Clinical Attachments Standard and Operating Rules had not been published.