Strategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burden Relating to the Use of Health IT and EHRs

HHS is required to articulate a plan of action to reduce regulatory and administrative burden relating to the use of health IT and EHRs. Specifically, the Cures Act directs HHS to: (1) establish a goal for burden reduction relating to the use of EHRs; (2) develop a strategy for meeting that goal; and (3) develop recommendations to meet the goal.
A number of areas should be prioritized for consideration as potential sources of burden to be addressed as part of the strategy. These include recent federal programs that have provided incentives for the adoption and use of EHRs, including the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs (now known as the Promoting Interoperability Programs) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The statute also identifies for prioritization burden associated with value-based payment models, including: initiatives recognized as alternative payment models (APMs) under MACRA; the Hospital Value-based Purchasing program; and other value-based payment programs, as deemed appropriate by the Secretary. Finally, the statute requires HHS to prioritize the burden associated with the alignment and simplification of quality measures across federal and non-federal payer quality initiatives.