The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) welcomes CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner’s announcement this morning, acknowledging the need to provide relief for our nation’s providers. Such relief is vitally important for the future success of Meaningful Use, as ICD-10 deadlines and continued shifts in payment policies demand an ever-increasing amount of IT and workforce resources. If the expansion of the office’s EHR Hardship Exceptions provides the kind of relief the industry desperately needs, CHIME pledges to assist policymakers in every way possible. Should CMS choose to define the new hardship exceptions in a way that does not address the core concerns of our industry we will continue to seek the kind of flexibility that nearly 50 national healthcare organizations communicated to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on February 21, 2014.
Policy leaders at CHIME pledge to continue their work with CMS and ONC to chart a course that drives interoperability and patient engagement, and facilitates delivery transformation. It will be CHIME’s highest policy priority to ensure that providers receive the kind of relief they need in order to deliver quality care.
