CHIME

CMS is accepting additional applications from hospitals to participate in Model 1 of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative, the agency recently announced. The Medicare demonstration includes four models of care that bundle payments for multiple services received during an episode of inpatient and/or post-acute care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office for the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC) will host a listening session on May 3 to discuss the increase in code levels billed for some Medicare services, and appropriate coding in an increasingly electronic environment.

The HHS Inspector General Office and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently unveiled proposals to amend the safe harbor regulation concerning electronic health records (EHRs) items and services. The proposed amendments include an update to the provision under which EHR software is deemed interoperable; removal of the electronic prescribing capability requirement; and extension of the sunset provision to Dec. 31, 2016.

In yet another move to expand opportunities for public input on strategic planning documents, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has established a website – using a Cornell-developed platform – to enable citizen feedback on updates to the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan. According to the site, ONC’s Planning Room, the topic of conversation until May 9 will be Consumer eHealth.

The Office of the National Coordinator announced the creation of a new workgroup, under the direction of the Health IT Policy Committee, which will focus on issues related to the Food and Drug Administration Safety Innovation Act.