“… Launched in 2017, Patients over Paperwork is the central plank of CMS’ ongoing contribution to President Trump’s executive order to “Cut the Red Tape.” Since that time – and in conjunction with President Trump’s recent executive order on Medicare – we have searched high and low for duplicative, unnecessary or excessively costly requirements…”
“The process began with a wide-ranging Request for Information that yielded over 3,000 discrete data points related to over 1,100 different issues. To-date, we have acted on, or are considering, over 80% of the items mentioned, with the remainder falling outside of CMS’ purview. In August 2019, we received over 560 submissions to a separate RFI, which we are currently analyzing.”
“In addition, we have gone out to the front lines to understand the impact of our rules. The Patients over Paperwork Initiative has pushed the CMS team to take a new approach to rulemaking – they’re getting out of the office and seeing how their work truly affects providers, clinicians, staff, beneficiaries, and families. By genuinely listening to the concerns of stakeholders, government can facilitate innovation, rather than stymie it. This boots-on-the-ground approach has allowed us to conduct 800 individual interviews, 185 interviews with subject matter experts, and 102 listening sessions across the nation.”
“While there’s much more to be done, we have made considerable inroads. Before previewing what’s to come in the future, I’d like to give you a brief tour of some of the highlights of work that’s been done…” Read the full press release here.
Source: Remarks by Administrator Seema Verma at the Patients Over Paperwork Anniversary Event: “Patients Over Paperwork: A Journey Forward” – By Seema Verma, October 29, 2019. CMS.
