The Washington Debrief provides CHIME members weekly news and information related to important healthcare IT legislative, regulatory and political developments in Washington, D.C.
Key Takeaway: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma and White House Adviser Jared Kushner
announced at the HIMSS18 conference in Las Vegas last week big changes are coming around Meaningful Use.
Why It Matters: The administration's intent is to put patients at the center of their care. A key piece to this is making sure patients have easy access to their medical records, which they contend can be improved with the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). As such, the administration has made it clear that 2015 certified electronic health records (EHRs) will be required for use starting 2019. They furthermore recognize that clinician burden must be reduced. In doing so they announced they are moving ahead with fewer documentation requirements and are paring back the Meaningful Use and the related requirements under the Medicare Incentive-based Program (MIPS). Our members can expect to see more details in forthcoming regulations later this spring. Finally, the administration, as part of their desire to ensure patients are also at the center of their care, announced the "
MyHealthEData Initiative" and
Blue Button 2.0. More details can be found below:
A video of Verma's speech is here. Her written speech is here.
Key Takeaway: We are forming a new work group soliciting input from members regarding the newest batch of opioid legislation in both the House and Senate.
Why It Matters: The opioid crisis is continuing to garner a lot of attention in America and the realm of public policy here in Washington. A number of bills and federal activities have been proposed or are in the works to help provide tools needed to bend the curve of opioid addiction. We will be discussing CARA 2.0 and a bill aimed at
e-prescribing of controlled substances. We have two calls scheduled on Friday, March 16, and Friday, March 23, both at 3 p.m. (EST). If you are interested in joining this important discussion, please
let us know
New Legacy Devices Work Group Coming Soon
Key Takeaway: We are forming a new work group designed to offer input to policy makers on how we can support medical devices over their lifetime while protecting against cyber threats.
Why It Matters: Cybersecurity is our top policy priority. Legacy medical devices are fraught with cybersecurity challenges. Recognizing that they can't all simply be ripped and replaced, but understanding the ongoing vulnerabilities, we are interested in the specifics of what our members envision as a pathway forward. Anyone interested in joining should
let us know as we will officially form it soon. Look for more details soon.
Public Policy Call
Key Takeaway: Monthly policy webinar - join us the third Wednesday of every month.
Why It Matters: Need your policy fix? Our next public policy call will be 2-2:30 p.m. ET on March 21. Members can
email us to be added to the distribution list; Foundation firms not already on the list can
email us to be added.
Key Takeaway: Last week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Anne Schuchat made a statement that the opioid abuse crisis is continuing to get worse across the country.
Why It Matters: In the CDC's new
report, it shows that between July of 2016 and September of 2017, hospitalizations as a result of opioid overdose jumped by 30 percent in 45 states. This suggests the crisis is not subsiding and it is not limited to only one group or area of the population.
Key Takeaway: Several reporting deadlines are coming up - be prepared!
Why It Matters: Here are the upcoming reporting deadlines you need to be aware of:
The deadline to file for Meaningful Use and electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) is March 16. To submit data, go to the QualityNet Secure Portal (QNet). To get help, contact the QNet Help Desk, which is available from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Friday via email at gnetsupport@hcqis.org or by calling (866) 288-8912.
Quality Payment Program (QPP) submission is March 31. And, there is a fact sheet that can be found here.
Key Takeaway: Two weeks ago, the Senate unanimously passed the Rural Wireless Access Act, which requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a consistent method for internet coverage data collection.
Why It Matters: In the past, the FCC's broadband coverage map has been the key part in figuring out where funding needs to be allocated. This will work to help improve the accuracy of where broadband buildout funds should be increased, thus helping increase the use of telehealth.
Key Takeaway: Coming soon, Medicare cards will not display a cardholder's Social Security Number but rather, a new identifier in their place.
Why It Matters: CMS will mail new cards to beneficiaries in April, thus fulfilling the mandate set forward as a part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act passed in 2015. The new number will be titled a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI). This will help to avoid identity theft and although it stalled for years, it will finally be going through soon.
Click here to view our CHIME Public Policy Playbook
College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME)
