Healthcare Coalition Calls for Shortened Meaningful Use Reporting Period

Statement by CHIME Board Chair Marc Probst and CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell, FCHIME, CHCIO

ANN ARBOR, MI, March 15, 2015 –

“A loud chorus of healthcare organizations today called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to act quickly and adopt a 90-day reporting period in 2016 for the Meaningful Use program. Doing so would build continuity with the shortened reporting period that the agency implemented in 2015. The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives has been a leading advocate for a 90-day reporting period.

“Healthcare providers are firmly committed to using information technology to transform the delivery system. Changes made to the Meaningful Use program last year provided welcomed relief from burdensome regulatory requirements. Providers now are awaiting further changes to the program spurred by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. However, the current regulatory scheme still calls for a 365-day reporting period. Until the final MACRA rules are issued, providers will be greatly challenged to meet the reporting requirements. Maintaining 365-day reporting period also will force providers to pull resources away from using health IT to innovate care processes and workflows. Additionally, it will limit the amount of time providers and vendors could spend on improving interoperability and information exchange.

“We look forward to working with CMS in continuing to refine the Meaningful Use program and advance health IT solutions that help us achieve the Triple Aim.”

Click here to see a copy of the letter sent to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt.

About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,800 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.

Contact
Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
734.249.8917
[email protected]