According to a breaking news article by HealthData Management, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent a Shared Saving/Accountable Care Organizations final rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. A review by OMB is one of the last stages before a rule becomes published in the Federal Register. The final rule is expected to include several changes due to the substantial amount of industry criticism the proposed rule faced during the comment period. According to HealthData Management, the concerns raised about the proposed rule included: (1) the proposed 65 measures would be excessively burdensome for newly formed ACOs, (2) allowing pathologists and laboratory professionals to be included as eligible physicians, and (3) giving ACO-enrolled patients the ability to restrict access to their health information could severely limit the ACO’s ability to improve the health of the individual.
If you have any questions about ACO participation, or any other health law questions, please contact a Wachler & Associates attorney at 248-544-0888.