Stage 2 Meaningful Use Proposed Rule Comment Letter

In last week’s Bulletin, the NCMS announced that, along with other professional medical associations, the Society will be submitting a comment letter pertaining to the State 2 Meaningful Use proposed rule. The proposed rule outlines the requirements for the next stage of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program administered by CMS. Click here to view the comment letter, which was submitted May 7.

Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoPs) Revised Proposed Rule

In October 2011, CMS published a proposed rule to revise the Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for hospitals that the American Medical Association (AMA), along with several state and national specialty societies, including the NCMS, submitted formal comments to CMS that voiced strong opposition to several of the proposals in the rule. On May 10, 2012, CMS published the final rule on CoPs and included the following improvements:

• The proposed concept of a single medical staff for a multi-hospital has been removed
• The proposed concept of the privileging of physicians without appointment to the medical staff has been removed
• A hospital’s governing body must now include at least one medical staff member
• The proposed concept of credentialing for medical staff membership in accordance with “hospital policies and procedures” has been removed
• The mandatory inclusion of non-physician practitioners on medical staffs strongly proposed by several other groups was not adopted.

CMS Releases Proposed Rule regarding Medicaid Payments for Primary Care Services

According to a proposed rule recently released by CMS, the number of specialties receiving Medicaid payment under Medicare Rates for primary care services will expand to include subspecialties. Family medicine, general internal medicine and pediatric medicine specialties were originally identified in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to receive Medicare Rates in both the 2013 and 2014 calendar year. View the proposed rule here. The subspecialties included in the expanded list are recognized in accordance with the American Board of Medical Specialties.