A proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) could open the door for nursing homes to gain the support they need to adopt electronic health records (EHR), says CAST Executive Director Majd Alwan.
The 403-page proposed rule updates the requirements that skilled nursing facilities must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. CMS announced the rule in conjunction with the White House Conference on Aging on July 13.
The rule has not been updated since 1991.
The sweeping rule contains 22 sections of standards that cover a wide variety of topics, including resident rights, resident assessments, resident-centered care plans, as well as nursing, physician, behavioral health, pharmacy, laboratory, dental, food, and rehabilitative services.
Standards for dining, discharge planning, staff training in dementia care, and medication management are among the new changes to the rule.
Technology and the Proposed Rule
In a section on “Transitions of Care,” the proposed rule reinforces the “importance of effective communication between providers” and proposes that nursing homes and other long-term care settings should send a resident’s care summary to a receiving facility when the resident is transferred, according to Politico.
“Electronic health records could simplify the process of extracting necessary information when a resident is transferred from a nursing home, and electronic summary of care documents provide a standardized way to exchange critical information between providers,” states the rule.
The rule acknowledges that nursing homes and other long-term care providers were excluded from the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive programs authorized by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009.
But it maintains that “certified health IT possesses capabilities that can assist any health care provider to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of the care they deliver.”
Advocacy for Incentives
Alwan acknowledges that CMS is not mandating a specific form, format or methodology for communications between settings during transitions of care. And he agrees with the rule’s suggestion that EHRs would make communication during the transition process much easier and more efficient.
The problem, says Alwan, is that many nursing home providers simply do not have the tools they need to fulfill the CMS requirement. He called for more action to ensure that providers have the support they need to acquire those tools.
“From a technology perspective, we will be advocating for CMS to identify incentives to ensure that all providers, including smaller and rural providers, have the right health IT tools in place, as well as the opportunity to actively participate in meaningful exchange of health information,” he said.