AMA urges CMS to get going on proposed public health readiness database
The American Hospital Association (AMA) has established its support for a proposal to open up data on the ability of public health agencies and registries to receive data from healthcare providers under Meaningful Use (MU) and urges the government to get the website up and running.
In May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to assess public health agencies' readiness for the reporting requirements of MU Stage 2. The office plans to create a database that tracks preparedness.
The AMA sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget saying that the AMA agrees with the CMS that the proposed data release will help reduce the burdens on providers and that it could play a "central" and "crucial" role in MU. CMS has yet to create the database and in its letter, the AMA wrote that CMS "should expedite its website development to support the goals of efficient electronic reporting to public health agencies and registries. Time is of the essence, as some hospitals already are attempting to meet the Stage 2" requirements.
Read the AMA's letter.
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.