The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on how to revise the E/M documentation guidelines to ease physician burden. It recognizes the need to update the twenty-year old E/M guidelines based on technological advancements, voice recognition and natural language processing of EHRs.
In particular, CMS is seeking comments on how to change the guidelines for the History and Physical examination (H&P) components of the E/M service which it considers the most outdated. It asserts that medical decision making and time are likely the most important distinction between different visit levels. CMS would specifically like to receive comments on whether it should remove entirely the documentation requirements for the history and physical for all E/M visits.
As such, we would like to hear your recommendations about how CMS could change the guidelines and whether it should get rid of the H&P requirements. We’ll then review the comments before forwarding our recommendations to CMS by their mid-Sept. deadline.
