Congress considers MU incentives for ASCs

Editor's Note

A Bill in Congress would enable ambulatory surgery center (ASC) physicians to receive the same payment incentives for meaningful use (MU) of electronic health records (EHRs) as physicians in other settings, according to the December 15 Healthcare IT News. Currently, physicians practicing in ASCs are excluded.

The Electronic Health Fairness Act (proposed by Rep Diane Black, R-Tenn) has been amended in the Senate to specify that physicians with patient encounters in ASCs are at a disadvantage because there is currently no certified EHR technology for ASCs, and that until such technology is available, patient encounters should not be used when calculating whether an eligible professional meets MU requirements.

Congress on Wednesday will consider legislation to allow physicians working in ambulatory surgical centers to receive the same payment incentives for meaningful use of electronic health records as doctors in other settings. Currently, physicians practicing in ambulatory surgical centers are excluded because ambulatory surgery centers were not covered under the provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009.