At a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt told legislators that they may be "very pleased" with new proposed rules implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) that will be released later this year. 

Slavitt, according to Morning Consult, indicated that the rule would accomplish the aims that stakeholders have been "pushing for." Slavitt did not specify whether the rule would delay the implementation of Stage 3 of the Meaningful Use program. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) noted at the hearing that he hoped that Stage 3 would be delayed so that it can be aligned with MACRA's merit based incentive program system, which moves many physicians from the Meaningful Use program and into the new payment initiative. Article