Tools for HR Professionals

MEETING THE NEEDS OF HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS

VistaNational helps Human Resources professionals balance the increasingly complex task of managing benefits and shrinking budgets and staff. We assign a dedicated team of experienced benefits professionals to work closely with your HR organization – proactively providing strategic consultation, planning, support and employee communications.

TOOLS FOR HR PROFESSIONALS

Vista provides valuable tools to help HR professionals work more effectively and efficiently and contribute to a workplace environment that will attract and retain talented employees. Our HR tools include:

Compliance

  • HIPAA Privacy Requirements
  • Notice of Privacy Practices (DOCX)
  • ComplianceAudit Tools
  • Medicare Part D Creditable Coverage Process

HR Education & Support

  • Benefits Administration support and technology resources
  • Best Practices for internal benefits procedures and processes
  • Benefits Enrollment Support
  • Carrier Claims and Billing Issues Advocacy
  • COBRA, FMLA, HSA, HRA, FSA and Section 125 Plan Administration

Employee Support & Education

  • Concierge Services
  • Employee Benefit Education

HIPAA Privacy Requirements

On January 25, 2013, Health and Human Services (HHS), the federal agency in charge of implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) issued regulations modifying the HIPAA Privacy and Security enforcement rules. These regulations finalized the amendments to HIPAA that were made by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), modifying the HITECH Act’s interim-breach notification rules and modifying the HIPAA Privacy Rules to implement the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).

The final rules went into effect on March 26, 2013; covered entities and business associates must comply with the final rule by September 23, 2013.  For those who have not met the September 23rd deadline, VistaNational has purchased a compliance package for your Employer Group Health Plan; click here to view the HIPAA Privacy Forms Package – Updated 10/02/13 (DOCX).  This package includes:

  • An Explanation of HIPAA Privacy Rules
  • A Summary of New HIPAA Regulations
  • A HIPAA Privacy Policy
  • A HIPAA Use and Disclosure Form
  • A Notice of Privacy Practices
  • A Business Associates Agreement
  • An Authorization for Release of Information
  • A HIPAA Security Standards Checklist
  • A Plan Sponsor Certification Form
  • A HIPAA Privacy Compliance Checklist
  • A Plan Amendment for Privacy Practices
  • A Summary of Material Modifications to amend the Employer’s SPD
  • A HIPAA Training Acknowledgment
  • A Request for an Accounting or Disclosure of Protected Health Information
  • A Request to Amend or Correct Protected Health Information
  • A Request to Inspect or Copy Protected Health Information
  • A Request for Alternative Communications

Please know you should have already been contacted by us to sign a revised Business Associate Agreement. If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to send that signed agreement to one of your VistaNational team members as soon as possible.

For more information/guidance on the HIPAA Privacy Forms Package, please download the presentation Complying with HIPAA Privacy Rules (PPTX).

Compliance Tools

VistaNational has the experience to address the increasing complexity of complying with employee benefits legislation and regulations. Our compliance services include access to an ERISA attorney as a compliance consultant, implementation of compliance best practices, and seminars and ongoing updates on changing laws and regulations. We can help reduce your compliance anxiety through:

  • Expertise – Access to an ERISA attorney
  • Education –Seminars and webinars on important compliance topics

Implementation – Ensure that benefit programs are compliant

MEDICARE PART D DISCLOSURE UPDATE

The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) requires entities (whose policies include prescription drug coverage) to notify Medicare eligible policyholders whether their prescription drug coverage is creditable coverage, which means that the coverage is expected to pay on average as much as the standard Medicare prescription drug coverage. The employer responsibilities remain a two-fold process:

  1. The first disclosure requirement is to provide a written disclosure notice to all Medicare eligible individuals annually who are covered under its prescription drug plan, prior to October 15th each year and at various times as stated in the regulations, including to a Medicare eligible individual when he/she joins the plan. This disclosure must be provided to Medicare eligible active working individuals and their dependents, Medicare eligible COBRA individuals and their dependents, Medicare eligible disabled individuals covered under your prescription drug plan and any retirees and their dependents. The MMA imposes a late enrollment penalty on individuals who do not maintain creditable coverage for a period of 63 days or longer following their initial enrollment period for the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Accordingly, this information is essential to an individual’s decision whether to enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Please see below link labeled “Updated Creditable Coverage Notice.”
  2. The second disclosure requirement is for entities to complete the Online Disclosure to CMS Form to report the creditable coverage status of their prescription drug plan. The Disclosure should be completed annually no later than 60 days from the beginning of a plan year (contract year, renewal year), within 30 days after termination of a prescription drug plan, or within 30 days after any change in creditable coverage status. To begin the Online Disclosure Click Here. The instructions on how to use the CMS website is in the below link labeled “Updated Creditable Coverage Disclosure Manual.”

Please see below notices and instructions for the Medicare Part D creditable coverage process.

Creditable Coverage Notice (Word) or Non-Creditable Coverage Notice (Word)
This notice needs to be sent out to ALL employees NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 15, 2016.

Creditable Coverage Simplified Determination (PDF)
Guide to determine if your plan is “creditable.”

Creditable Coverage Disclosure Manual (PDF)
Instructions for how to use the CMS website.

What is Creditable Coverage?
For more information regarding CMS, please click here. (link to CMS.gov page)