Administrative Simplification
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Minnesota AUC
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Health Care Administrative Simplification
Health care is a more than $66 billion per year enterprise in Minnesota, generating millions of routine business (“administrative”) transactions between health care providers, payers, intermediaries, and vendors for primarily billing and payment purposes. The large volume and complexity of these transactions contribute to administrative costs and burdens, especially if the transactions are nonstandard and require manual intervention and processing.
Minnesota passed the Health Care Administrative Simplification Act (ASA) in 1994 with the goal of reducing health care administrative costs and burdens through greater standardization of administrative transactions and more automated, electronic exchange of administrative data. MDH administers the ASA through statutorily required rules as well as voluntary activities and learning to accomplish the goal. MDH’s actions to reduce health care administrative costs and burdens are conducted with and have benefited greatly from collaboration with the federal government, other state agencies, and state, regional, and national advisory and standards-setting organizations.
An important focus of the administrative simplification effort under the ASA is the development and administration of rules and aids for the standard, electronic exchange of high-volume health care administrative transactions, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 62J.536. The rules are known as Minnesota Uniform Companion Guides (MUCGs). MDH’s Center for Health Information Policy and Transformation (CHIPT) develops, implements, and administers the MUCGs and provides other assistance in consultation with a large, voluntary stakeholder organization, the Minnesota Administrative Uniformity Committee (AUC), and other partners.
See also the fact sheet, Minnesota's Health Care Administrative Simplification Initiative (PDF)
News
Changes to MN AUC Webpages
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) maintains webpages regarding the Administrative Uniformity Committee (AUC) and the state’s health care administrative simplification efforts under the Administrative Simplification Act (ASA), MS §62J.50-61. We recently updated and reorganized these pages. The changes were made to reduce duplication, align with website best practices, and reflect the current status of the AUC. Our goal was to make the changes intuitive, with minimal disruption to existing links.
Note: There will be additional changes as we fine-tune the webpages.
Limited Exception From Minnesota’s Requirements for the Standard, Electronic Exchange of Eligibility (270/271) Transactions for Payers Not Subject to HIPAA is Continued Through July 31, 2025
A statutorily authorized, year-to-year limited exception from Minnesota’s requirements for the standard, electronic exchange of eligibility (270/271) transactions for group purchasers (payers) not subject to federal HIPAA transactions and code sets regulations is continued through July 31, 2025.
This exception applies only to exchanges of the ASCX12/005010X279A1 Health Care Eligibility Benefit Inquiry and Response (270/271) transaction with health care group purchasers (payers) that are not subject to federal HIPAA transactions and code sets regulations through July 31, 2025. The exception applies to workers’ compensation, auto, and property and casualty carriers.
More information regarding the limited exception is available in the July 15 Minnesota State Register (Vol. 49, No. 3).
The limited, one-year exception is reviewed annually. The next annual review of this exception to rules adopted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes §62J.536 is scheduled for May-June 2025 to determine if the exception will be continued through July 2026.
MDH Adopts Revised 270-271 Eligibility MUCG as Final Rule
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) published a notice in the March 4, 2024 Minnesota State Register (Vol. 48, No. 36) announcing the following revised Minnesota Uniform Companion Guides (MUCG) has been adopted into rule:
The rule was developed in consultation with the Minnesota Administrative Uniformity Committee (AUC) in compliance with Minnesota Statutes section 62J.536. The statute requires health care providers, group purchasers (payers) and health care clearinghouses to exchange certain health care business transactions electronically in compliance with the revised and adopted MUCG. It becomes effective April 4.
More information regarding the rule is available on the Minnesota State Register webpage.
Archive of news and notices posted on the Administrative Simplification webpage.