What level of
service is required to be provided under HIPAA when an entity implements
batch and/or real time submission of a standard transaction? What level of
service is required to be provided under HIPAA when an entity implements
batch and/or real time submission of a standard transaction? 
8/27/2000:45 CFR 162.925 states "a health plan may not delay or reject a transaction, or attempt to adversely affect the other entity or the transaction, because the transaction is a standard transaction." If the standard transaction (e.g., ASC X12N 270/271) is offered in a batch (non-interactive) mode, the health plan has to offer the same or higher level of service as it did for a batch mode of transaction before the standards were implemented by the plan. If a health plan offers the transaction in a real time (interactive) mode, the level of service has to be at least equal to the previously offered level for a real time mode of transaction. If a transaction is offered through Direct Data Entry (DDE), the level of service, again, has to be at least equal to the level offered for the DDE transaction before implementation of the HIPAA standard.