AMCNO Meets with Region V CMS Medical Director
One day prior to the release of the final meaningful use rules, AMCNO physician leadership met with Dr. Derek Robinson at the AMCNO offices. Dr. Robinson is the new Medical Director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in Region V. Region V encompasses Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

In addition to discussing the AMCNO comments on the meaningful use rules, the AMCNO outlined several other concerns - the most prevalent of which was the issue of the ongoing Medicare payment problem and the lack of action on the part of Congress to scrap the SGR formula. Every year there are delays and changes in the debate in Congress but there has been no permanent solution to the problem. The AMCNO representatives also noted that with all the new rules coming forward from CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator dealing with eprescribing, meaningful use, as well as the need to install an electronic health record and track quality items through the PQRI initiative the practice of medicine has become inundated with compliance issues. It can be a daunting task for physicians to comply with all of the new regulations. Dr. Robinson noted that CMS believes that all of these concepts will enhance the health care system and provide physicians with the ability to have access to patient records and avoid duplication. Medicare and Medicaid are the largest payers in the country and there is a real need to leverage these concepts and move this forward

CMS is looking to align incentives and determine what is safest and best for the patient – therefore, quality of care issues and distribution of payments are always points of discussion and review. The top priority right now for CMS is dealing with electronic health records and providing information on the meaningful use rules. CMS is working closely with the state regional extension centers (RECs) to get a sense of the level of preparation and outreach needed to make this work for physicians. The broader goal is not necessarily about the incentives but to move the healthcare community into an electronic system.

With regard to the PQRI program CMS is looking for physician input and feedback on how that program is working and to offer assistance to physicians so that they can comply with the PQRI reporting. CMS believes that if all of these pieces are implemented it will create a better health care system. Dr. Robinson expressed a willingness to continue to meet with the AMCNO and the physicians in this community to discuss issues of importance to the practice of medicine.