Since our last post on this topic, the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) has learned that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow Integra Employer Health to continue making payments to physicians and other providers via “virtual” credit card. 

Credit card payments currently are unsupported by the electronic remittance advice (ERA) transaction, meaning they are non-compliant with the HIPAA standard transaction. However, Integra offers physicians the option to enroll in a HIPAA-compliant ERA, including payment via electronic funds transfer (EFT).

Integra’s offering of this option satisfied CMS’s Office of E-Health Standards and Services that the concerns raised in our complaint had been resolved.

Based on this latest information, please disregard our previous communication stating that CMS would require Integra to completely cease its credit card payments.