Washington Debrief: Bill Would Shield EHR Penalties for Certain Docs

Others presented information to inform the RFI generally, such as the Privacy & Security Tiger Team, or give updates on the progress of adoption.  CMS gave their monthly update on registration and attestation numbers, meanwhile the Office of Provider Adoption Support (OPAS) gave an overview of REC activity and EHR adoption.  Here is a listing of all the presentations given during this month’s meeting.

Three-phase Plan to Repeal SGR Takes Shape in House Leaders on the House Ways and Means and Energy & Commerce Committees unveiled an updated plan for a permanent “doc fix” this week.  The plan outlines a three-part strategy to transition physicians away from the sustainable growth rate, using a mix of performance-based formulas.  “Based on respondent input, we envision a system where providers have the flexibility to participate in the payment and delivery model that best fits their practice,”  four Republican lawmakers wrote in a letter to providers. “The overarching goal is to reward providers for delivering high-quality, efficient health care, whether in a FFS system or in an alternative payment model program.”  The plan foresees a repeal of the SGR formula during the first multiyear phase where physicians would get a series of stable payment updates.  In the second phase, payment levels would come from a base rate, plus a variable rate tied to the physicians’ performance on several quality measures relative to their peers, improvement over last year’s quality score and doing clinical improvement activities.  In the third phase, payment rates would be based in part on quality measures, adjusted for risk and severity of illness treated.  In addition, providers who meet a minimum quality score would be able to earn additional incentive payments based on their efficient use of resources.

This plan tracks, in many ways, with similar legislation released earlier this year by Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.) on taking a phased approach.  House leadership hopes to have a bill to vote on sometime this summer.

Confirmation for Acting CMS Head Set After serving as Deputy Administrator and then Acting Administrator at CMS for more than three years, Marilyn Tavenner has her first shot at confirmation.  Tavenner will get a confirmation hearing in the Senate April 9.  If she is confirmed, Tavenner would become the first Senate-approved CMS leader in over seven years.  Observers note that the Acting Administrator has strong support from the provider community and has tentative bi-partisan support, where Senate Finance committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and senior Republican Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) have predicted a smooth process.  But that is not to say the hearing will be an easy one.  A rash of recent rules surrounding implementation from the ACA has irked several members of Congress and there are still active calls for repeal of Obamacare coming from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others.