Six senators clamoring for changes to the Meaningful Use program have introduced legislation that would allow for more flexibility and hardship relief for eligible providers.
These six GOP lawmakers have called for a “reboot” of the program since 2013. When drafting the most recent legislation in April, they reached out to the Health and Human Services Department for help.
Now the bill, the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Regulatory Relief Act (S. 3173), is ready for prime time. The senators behind the effort include John Thune (S.D.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Richard Burr (N.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.).
“Our bill ensures that unnecessary regulatory burdens do not continue to negatively affect providers’ ability to leverage technology to improve patient care,” Thune said in an announcement. “I’m thankful for the administration’s willingness to provide constructive feedback and engage with Senate reboot members on this important piece of legislation.”
The bill includes three proposals:
- Ensuring that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' 90-day reporting period for this year is enacted. Previously the reporting period was 365 days.
- Getting rid of the all-or-nothing approach to the program, which the senators call “an unfair burden of compliance.” The legislation instead would implement a threshold where eligible entities would be required to meet no more than 70 percent of the program’s metrics.
- Extending a law that provides more flexibility in hardship exceptions to include insufficient internet connectivity, natural disasters, unexpected practice closures, vendor and certification issues, lack of face-to-face patient interaction and more.
“As a doctor, I know firsthand how bureaucratic hurdles can interfere with patient care,” Cassidy said in the announcement. “This legislation will reduce those regulatory burdens on providers, allowing them to better serve patients.”
To learn more:
- here's the announcement
- check out the bill