CMS Requests Public Input on Establishing First National Directory of Health Care Providers and Services
On October 5, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Request for Information (RFI) to ask for public comment on the creation of a “National Directory of Health Care Providers and Services” (NDH).
CMS seeks comment on how a single centralized directory using modern technology could reduce maintenance burden on providers and payers and promote real-time accuracy for patients. This process could also ease the health data exchange burden between providers and improve public health reporting.
Presently, the healthcare directory is disjointed, which has resulted in patients sometimes battling to find current provider information in their network. In addition, providers are dealing with “redundant and burdensome” reporting requirements to multiple databases. The end result is inaccurate provider directories, poor interoperability of data exchange and public health reporting, and costly to the healthcare industry.
The CMS Administrator said, “CMS is seeking comment on how a National Directory of Health Care Providers and Services could better serve patients and reduce unnecessary burden placed on providers to maintain dozens of separate directories. We look forward to hearing from our stakeholders on the need for a single source for this information for the entire health sector.”
The feedback obtained will assist CMS in understanding the current landscape of health care directories. The RFI is open for public comment for 60 days (through December 6, 2022).
