Final Rules Seeks to Streamline Unburden Providers

In May, CMS identified unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome rules on health care providers and beneficiaries. And in streamlining the rules they hope to increase the ability of health care professionals to devote resources to improving patient care, by eliminating or reducing requirements that impede quality patient care or that divert providing high quality patient care.

In Executive Order 13563, the President has directed each executive agency to establish a plan for ongoing retrospective review of existing significant regulations to identify those rules that can be eliminated as obsolete, unnecessary, burdensome, or counterproductive or that can be modified to be more effective, efficient, flexible, and streamlined. This final rule responds directly to the President's instructions in Executive Order 13563 by reducing outmoded or unnecessarily burdensome rules, and thereby increasing the ability of health care entities to devote resources to providing high quality patient care.

Summary of the Major Provisions

• Removes Unnecessary Burdensome Requirements by modifying, removing, or streamlining current regulations that have identified as excessively burdensome. Areas affected include : End Stage Renal Disease Facilities Life Safety Code; Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) Emergency Equipment; Re-enrollment Bar for Providers and Suppliers: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals who are Intellectually Disabled (ICR/IID).


• Removes Obsolete or Duplicative Regulations or Provides Clarifying Information. They have removed requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that have become obsolete and are no longer needed or enforced. An obsolete list of OMB control numbers, approval numbers, and information collections has been removed. Other affected areas: Appeals of Part A and Part B Claims Determinations; Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) Infection Control Program; E-Prescribing; Physical and Occupational Therapist Qualifications; Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) Definitions; Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) Administration and Governing Body.


• Responds to Stakeholder Concerns. CMS has identified nomenclature and definition changes that will improve clarity and update regulations to terms widely used by the public. Removal of the Term "Recipient" for Medicaid is replaced with "beneficiary." The Term "Mental Retardation" has been replaced with "Intellectual Disability."

Can't argue with a move toward simplification and streamlining though there is a long way to go to achieve it. This is a small start. Find the rule here.

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