In a letter, America’s Essential Hospitals and six other hospital groups urged Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to refrain from adding health information exchange requirements to the Medicare and Medicaid Conditions of Participation (CoPs).
In various requests for information, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has sought input on whether CoPs should require providers to exchange health information with other providers.
In the letter, sent Oct. 17, the groups argue that these requirements would run counter to the agency’s efforts to reduce provider burden through the Patients over Paperwork Initiative. Adding health information exchange requirement to the CoPs is unnecessary given existing requirements in other programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs. The groups highlighted hospitals’ progress in exchanging health information, but noted that HHS can facilitate interoperability by eliminating remaining barriers to information exchange.
Contact Senior Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org with questions.
