The U.S. Senate recently passed the Electronic Health Fairness Act of 2015 (S 1347), according to the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA). This legislation protects physicians practicing in ASCs from meaningful use penalties in the Medicare program until a certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) is available for the ASC setting. Similar legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June.
ASCA worked closely with ASC champions Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO) on this legislation in the Senate, and members built support in Congress to achieve final passage.
Next, the House and Senate must reconcile slightly different legislation into one cohesive bill. (To access the Senate bill, go to http://1.usa.gov/1hfTeD3.)
