The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has
recently proposed a health policy change that has many medical organizations in
protest. CMS wants to require surgeons to document every ten minutes their post-operative
patient care activities for certain surgical procedures. What does that mean?
It means that time surgeons spend out of the OR working on patient cases would
need to be documented every 10 minutes. This healthy policy change that could affect
reimbursement rates from CMS has many surgeons up in arms.
In a letter from the American College of Surgeons to CMS
indicated that patient care cannot be easily coded in 10 minute increments.
Many surgeons review patient files throughout the day and switch from one task
to another. The letter stated the chaos that could ensue with a 10-minute
coding mandate.
‘The surgeon would have to stop the timer on the first
patient’s pathology review, start and stop timers on the second and third
patients while answering the phone and then restart the timer on the first
patient in the office. This often happens many times in a day.’
The American Medical Association sites the burden and
burnout that this policy would create.
‘Asking physicians and their staff to use 10-minute
increments to document all their non-operating room patient care activities is
by itself and incredible burden, and especially so during MACRA
implementation-the most significant payment system change in 25 years.’
It seems clear that CMS is getting strong pushback on this
new proposed health policy change. We will have to see if CMS holds to its
policy or alters based on the burden physicians are already feeling.
Share your Thoughts:
Do you think this health policy regarding 10-minute coding
is reasonable or too burdensome? What do you think CMS should do? What would
you do if you were one of these surgeons?
Thank you to Baylor University MBA in Healthcare program for
providing a setting of learning and discussion to solve complex health policy
issues.
Sources:
https://ryortho.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CMS_AndrewHuthSurgeonChecklist_WEB.jpg
