CMS Rules Aim to Cut Regulatory Burdens

Three rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are designed to reduce burdensome and unnecessary regulations, and save providers nearly $1.1 billion annually, according to the Obama administration.


Three rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are designed to reduce burdensome and unnecessary regulations, and save providers nearly $1.1 billion annually, according to the Obama administration.

The rules follow a January 2009 executive order for all federal agencies to review their regulations and regulatory processes.

A new final rule eases or eliminates certain requirements pertaining to ambulatory surgical centers. A proposed rule reforms Medicare conditions of participation for hospitals.

A second proposed rule addresses numerous regulatory reforms for non-hospital providers. The changes cover such areas as updating obsolete e-prescribing requirements, and cutting conflicting regulations governing end-stage renal disease facilities, and durable medical equipment supplies, among others.

But some of the changes are superficial at best. In the e-prescribing changes, CMS is simply updating language to reflect adoption of the HIPAA 5010 transaction sets and new versions of pharmacy transactions from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs.

The three rules are available now at ofr.gov/inspection.aspx, with publication in the Federal Register expected on Oct. 24.