Week in Washington: Encounter Data is Coming!

April 26, 2018

Here’s a quick rundown on the news that was.

Encounter Data is Coming – CMS announced that it would be (finally) releasing Medicare Advantage Encounter data. It also announced it would be releasing additional Medicaid and CHIP data (T-MSIS) in 2019. CMS announced it would be releasing the data annually.

Inpatient Rule - CMS released proposed changes to the Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs (i.e., meaningful use) on Tuesday. CMS proposed removing 8 of the 16 electronic clinical quality measures and changes the ratings to a 100-point scale rather than a pure pass/fail. Also, in terms of verbiage, CMS is shifting away from the term “meaningful use” and is instead using the term “promoting interoperability”.

Transitional Plans- A few weeks ago, CMS released guidance that states could continue extending transitional/grandmother plans (non-ACA plans that were allowed to be renewed into the present). Healthinsurance.org has a good tracker here (includes which states that legally allow transitional plans but don’t have any enrollment in them).

Hill Watch- While moving slowly a few things to keep an eye on in terms of national legislative front. An opioid bill is slowly making its way through Congress and may include additional resources and changes to requirements to Medicaid. Another thing to follow is the Farm Bill. There is some debate on if the Farm bill should include funds to assist with the creation of Farm Bureau plans or association health plans (i.e., plans that are not part of the ACA individual or small group markets).