Yesterday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced a request for public comment on draft recommendations for the Stage 3 of the Meaningful Use Program. Stakeholders are asked to comment on new and revised meaningful use objectives and measures, proposed certification criteria for information exchanges, as well as a series of questions on clinical quality measures, and privacy and security issues.

Yesterday, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued highly anticipated Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulations related to health insurance market reforms, including the ban on insurance companies considering pre-existing conditions and the essential health benefits standards for coverage.

Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) - the independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress - released a report entitled DOD and VA Healthcare: Medication Needs during Transitions May Not Be Managed for All Servicemembers. The GAO was asked by the House Committee on Veteran Affairs to provide information on the process used by the DOD and VA to help servicemembers manage their psychiatric and pain medications during transitions.

As too-close-to call race results from last week’s election are finalized, the picture painted by the results of the hard-fought 2012 election remains status quo overall: President Obama will return to the White House for another four years, Republicans will retain control of the House and the Senate will stay in Democratic hands.

Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule that will update payment rates for services furnished by physicians and non-physician practitioners under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2013. As you know, NTOCC submitted comments on the proposed rule in September in support of a new payment to primary care physicians to furnish non face-to-face “Transitional Care Management” services required to help a patient transition back to the community following a discharge from a hospital or nursing facility.