AAHomecare Working with Policymakers on e-Prescription

The association is measuring lawmakers’ and regulators’ interest in e-prescription and plans to discuss the topic on an upcoming call with CMS.

• By David Kopf
• Feb 23, 2023

The American Association for Homecare reports that it is in the early stages of engaging Federal policymakers to advance the adoption of e-prescribing systems for HME.

There have been various e-prescription developments in the HME industry, and there are services offering e-prescription for HME, such as DMEscripts and Parachute Health. A statement from AAHoemcare says its efforts are aimed at ensuring the industry “will have a seat at the table on any resulting initiatives” when it comes to e-prescription policy that could impact the industry.

“Digital workflows for healthcare are increasingly on the agenda in Washington,” the AAHomecare statement reads. “One current example: CMS is developing regulations for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid FFS, and CHIP programs to improve the electronic exchange of healthcare data and streamline processes related to prior authorization, while continuing CMS’ drive toward interoperability in healthcare.”

The association added that it has been assessing Congressional interest in e-prescription with legislators and staff as part of early discussions on policy priorities for the 118th Congress. The association added it plans to engage CMS on e-prescribing during an upcoming call between the agency and DME policy leaders. 

“We will be looking to get an understanding of CMS’ interest in mandating e-prescribing for DME and share some industry perspective on how that can be done effectively,” the AAHomecare statement noted. “… It’s critical that the HME community keeps pace with this trend and that our industry’s interests, expertise, and potential to deliver high quality, cost-effective care are considered in future regulations and requirements for e-prescribing and other digital processes.”