A No Surprises Act rule requiring providers to offer a good faith estimate for the cost of items and services provided to uninsured and self-pay patients slows access to timely care, the American Medical Group Association said in a June 6 letter to CMS.
The American Medical Group Association represents more than 440 multispecialty medical groups and integrated delivery systems, according to the letter. The group said rigid good faith estimate timeliness notification standards "fail to account for provider workflows, nor do they afford sufficient time to gather information."
The group said the rule's current guidelines are confusing or conflicting. Providers have raised questions about the circumstances necessitating the delivery of a good faith estimate to a patient.
Staffing concerns are another key issue for the group. It said its members have reported that nonmedical staff are required to spend a significant number of hours completing good faith estimates.
The group said its members report a significant expense associated with completing good faith estimates and said there is no realistic way to complete the estimates electronically.
The group is requesting a meeting with CMS to discuss the rule's barriers as well as potential solutions.