Consumer groups push back on CMS' proposed relaxation of MU requirements
An impressive group of consumer advocacy organizations have banded together to express concerns about proposed changes to the Meaningful Use program.
Organized by the Consumer Partnership for Health (CPeH) and the Consumer-Purchase Alliance on behalf of a long list of other organizations, the groups' comments on Meaningful Use express disappointment with the government's latest proposals.
Specifically, the groups warned that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) plan to reduce the requirements for healthcare providers would undermine efforts to make patients and family caregivers true and equal partners in improving health through shared information, understanding and decision-making. The letter was signed by 50 groups representing consumers, employers, seniors, underserved communities, patients, people with disabilities, labor, caregivers and others.
“What CMS is proposing is a dramatic, unwelcome and unjustified retreat from its commitment to promote patient and family engagement,” said Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership, which helps lead both CPeH and the C-P Alliance. “Delivery system reform cannot succeed without active engagement of patients and family caregivers, and online access is a critical tool for many. Simply offering, but not necessarily using, online access will not improve care and health; we must promote active engagement if we are to achieve the goals of delivery system reform. We urge CMS to keep the existing patient-engagement thresholds.”“Empowering patients and their family caregivers with electronic access to and use of their health information is also a critical step toward interoperability throughout the health care system,” said Bill Kramer, co-chair of the C-P Alliance and executive director for National Health Policy at the Pacific Business Group on Health. “Interoperability will enable the efficient collection, sharing, and use of health information by patients, providers, purchasers, and other health system stakeholders to achieve the triple aim of better care, smarter spending, and healthier people.”
Read the complete comments.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.