How easy or hard is it to implement a data exchange system using the Voluntary Data Sharing Agreement on our own?
There are some very large employers who have pursued this direction on their own. Developing the Voluntary Data Sharing Agreement system in-house does require significant IT time and money and at least three to six months of development time. Once the system and the testing process are established, the information that is received from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services often contains errors when records do not match the Medicare enrollment database. SSDC maintains a trained and available staff to perform the reconciliations, and to assist individuals with Social Security disability and Medicare claim issues, as well as disputes between Medicare and the employer group benefit administrator. Similar to SSDC, an employer establishing their own system should be prepared to recover overpayments, assist individuals with Medicare Part B enrollment, and work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to convert individuals to Medicare primary payer status.
