On May 1, 2020, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Interoperability & Patient Access Final Rule in the Federal Register. The Interoperability Final Rule contained a new Condition of Participation (CoP) requirement, effective May 1, 2021. CMS’s Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule was published in conjunction with The Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Cures Act in furtherance of federal efforts to increase interoperability and eliminate information blocking practices.
The Admission, Discharge, and Transfer Event Notifications requirement of the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access final rule requires health IT systems capable of sending / receiving ADT messages provide the ability to send ADT event notifications to patient-designated providers and organizations. The compliance date, May 1st, 2021, for requirements is based on the hospital’s compliance plan. Each hospital must have a plan to be fully compliant by this date.
What notifications are required?
Events Notifications for a patient’s admission, discharge, or transfer.
Inpatient admissions
Emergency department
Presented
Discharged
Observation admission/registration
Transfer
From outpatient to inpatient
Unit Transfers are not required.
Discharge
Failure to comply with the CMS Rule by the May 1, 2021 deadline can result in loss of certifications and reimbursements.
Who will receive notifications in their Message Center Inbox or Secure Email Inbox (HISP)?
Primary Care Physician (PCP) or Informed Provider
Who potentially could receive notifications based off the ruling in the future?
Primary Care Physician (PCP)
Admitting
Attending
Consulting
Referring
Informed Provider or Organization (i.e. Case worker, Skilled nursing facility, Social worker, Informed PCP)
Opt-out Notifications
Providers or informed providers can opt-out of ADT event notifications. Opting out of ADT event notifications disables notifications for all patients where the provider is the PCP or associated to the patient with the specific relationships mentioned in the ruling.
The provider will no longer receive a notification for any patient that is admitted, discharged, or transferred when opting out notifications.
How to opt-out notifications?
Providers or informed providers must submit a request to UMC IT or TTP Clinical Transformation department with the following required information:
Provider’s Name
Provider’s NPI
NEW Notifications in Message Center or Secure Email Inbox (HISP)
