CMS Seeks Public Input on Patients over Paperwork Initiative to Further Reduce Administrative, Regulatory Burden to Lower Healthcare Costs

On June 6, CMS issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking new ideas from the public on how to continue the progress of the Patients over Paperwork initiative. Since launching in fall 2017, Patients over Paperwork has streamlined regulations to significantly cut the “red tape” that weighs down our healthcare system and takes clinicians away from their primary mission—caring for patients. As of January 2019, we estimate that through regulatory reform alone, the healthcare system will save an estimated 40 million hours and $5.7 billion through 2021. These estimated savings come from both final and proposed rules.

This RFI provides an opportunity to share new ideas not conveyed during the first Patients over Paperwork RFI in 2017 and continue the national conversation on improving healthcare delivery. We are especially seeking innovative ideas that broaden perspectives on potential solutions to relieve burden and ways to improve:

Reporting and documentation requirements
Coding and documentation requirements for Medicare or Medicaid payment
Prior authorization procedures
Policies and requirements for rural providers, clinicians, and beneficiaries
Policies and requirements for dually enrolled (i.e., Medicare and Medicaid) beneficiaries
Beneficiary enrollment and eligibility determination
CMS processes for issuing regulations and policies

Key Burden Reduction Milestones to Date:

We gathered feedback on burdensome requirements from medical and patient communities through other RFIs, listening sessions, and on-site meetings with frontline clinicians, healthcare staff, and patients and are working every day to reduce regulatory burden while safeguarding patient safety, quality, and program integrity. Achievements so far: