Putting patients first is a top national priority….
In October, CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced the “Patients over Paperwork” initiative, which is in accord with President Trump’s Executive Order that directs federal agencies to “cut the red tape” to reduce burdensome regulations.
Through “Patients over Paperwork,” CMS established an internal process to evaluate and streamline regulations with a goal to reduce unnecessary burden, increase efficiencies and improve the beneficiary experience. In carrying out this internal process, CMS is moving the needle and removing regulatory obstacles that get in the way of providers spending time with patients.
Specifically, the aims include:
- Increasing the number of satisfied customers – clinicians, institutional providers, health plans, etc. engaged through direct and indirect outreach;
- Decreasing the hours and dollars clinicians and providers spend on CMS-mandated compliance; and
- Increasing the proportion of tasks that CMS customers can do in a completely digital way.
As part of the initiative, CMS plans to travel the country to gain insight on what aspects of regulatory compliance should be changed to allow providers to spend more time with patients. The plan includes a steering committee to coordinate burden reduction, journey mapping, listening sesions and policy/regulation review. This effort is underway and we look forward to sharing updates and outcomes as the initiative evolves.
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