“Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a comprehensive strategy to reduce the regulatory and administrative burden related to the use of health IT, including EHRs. Reflective of public comment, the Strategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burdens Relating to the Use of Health IT and EHRs targets burdens tied to regulatory and administrative requirements that HHS can directly impact through the rulemaking process. The report’s strategies, recommendations, and policy shifts aim to give clinicians more time to focus on what matters – caring for their patients. The report is a collaborative effort between ONC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).”
The Burdens That Clinicians Face
“Physicians and other healthcare providers have long identified regulatory and administrative burdens as a key contributor to the many challenges they face. They also note these burdens weigh down the overall healthcare delivery system as well. Clinicians have pointed to an ever-increasing and poorly coordinated set of requirements they must meet to deliver and receive payment for patient care.”
“In many cases, fulfilling these requirements takes a substantial amount of time away from actual care delivery, can interfere with the doctor-patient relationship, and can lead to burnout. The clinical community frequently links the increased burden of meeting these requirements with the tasks and use of health IT, such as EHRs.”
Goals to Reduce Burden
“Based on stakeholder input, the final report outlines three overarching goals designed to reduce clinician burden:
- Reduce the effort and time required to record health information in EHRs for clinicians;
- Reduce the effort and time required to meet regulatory reporting requirements for clinicians, hospitals, and healthcare organizations; and
- Improve the functionality and ease of use of EHRs.” Read the full article here.
Source: Final Report Delivers a Strategy to Reduce EHR Burden – By Andrew Gettinger, M.D. and Thomas A. Mason, M.D., February 21, 2020. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology HealthITBuzz.
