Last week the U.S. House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee voted to approve legislation that would exempt cases at ambulatory surgery centers from counting toward meaningful use of electronic health records, according to an ASCA report.
The Committee voted to approve the Electronic Health Fairness Act of 2015. Here are five things to know:
1. The Act would exempt 887 patient encounters at ASCs from counting toward meaningful use of EHR.
2. The procedures wouldn't be counted for physicians until there is certified EHR technology for ASCs; at this time, there is no certified EHR for ASCs.
3. There are no certification standards for ASCs. As a result, this legislation would authorize the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to certify an EHR system for ASCs.
4. The Act is heading to the House of Representatives for consideration.
5. ASCA played a huge roll in the bill's passage, which is a direct result of ASCA member and staff advocacy. ASCA sent out a call to action and several members asked their representatives on the Committee to support this legislation.