Aug 30, 2019
A proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requiring hospitals to inform a patient’s primary care physician when that patient is admitted to, transferred from, or discharged from the hospital has some provider organizations asking for changes. The proposed rule would require the electronic notification of providers as a condition of hospitals’ participation in the Medicare program. The National Association of ACOs [accountable care organizations], or NAACOS, called the proposal “a step in the right direction” but also noted that “it contains several limitations, such as being limited to hospital admissions and forcing hospitals to determine with whom patients have established relationships.” NAACOS members, which include more than 330 ACOs representing 5 million beneficiaries, would like more information than that, explained Clif Gaus, the organization’s president and CEO, during a phone call at which a public relations person was present. “Knowing when a patient is going to the hospital is important, but it’s not all-encompassing.”