CMS adopts changes to empower patients and reduce admn burden

On August 2, CMS finalized a rule to empower patients and advance the White House MyHealthEData initiative and the CMS Patients Over Paperwork initiative.

According to CMS, this final rule and others issued earlier this week will help improve access to hospital price information, give patients greater access to their health information and allow clinicians to spend more time with their patients.

In its announcement, CMS stated that individually and collectively, these final rules put patients first, ease provider burden, and make significant strides in modernizing Medicare. The August 2 final rule makes updates to Medicare payment policies and rates under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) that will incentivize value-based, quality care at these facilities. CMS also issued final rules this week on fiscal year (FY) 2019 Medicare payments and policies for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) PPS, Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) PPS, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) PPS, and the Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update.

You’ll find more detailed information here.