Information Blocking and Patient Access Rule Sign-on Letter

To: The Honorable Seema Verma, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

"On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we are writing to express our deep concern regarding the upcoming compliance deadlines included in the “Patient Access” Rule, as well as to urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) to provide additional regulatory relief to physicians during the national threat of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The signatories include the American College of Physicians, which is the largest medical specialty organization and the second largest physician membership society in the United States, as well as the nation’s leading Subspecialty Societies. While we have demonstrated our steadfast and continual commitment to CMS’ efforts to improve patient access to data and interoperability, it is an insurmountable burden to ask physicians during this public health emergency (PHE) to dedicate scarce resources to compliance measures and consequently put patient lives at risk. We strongly urge CMS to support physicians and their care teams during this PHE by delaying compliance with implementation timelines and simultaneously offering hardship exceptions for the upcoming regulatory deadlines in the “Patient Access” final regulations."

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