Here are four things to know:
1. The proposal is part of the White House’s efforts to eliminate regulations that prioritize paperwork over patients. CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the agency’s existing policies have “put lives in danger,” during a speech announcing the proposal last week.
“We are proposing to remove those inefficiencies to reduce the amount of time patients have to wait, so that they can begin healing,” Ms. Verma said, according to ProPublica.
2. Many transplant physicians have endorsed less federal oversight for transplants, arguing the rules discourage hospitals from taking on risky patients or accepting unperfect organs to meet survival thresholds, which can extend patients’ wait time for a transplant.
3. Some experts suggest the proposal would not help patients since it would limit the government’s power to hold organ transplant programs accountable for providing quality patient care.
4. The regulation the Trump administration proposed to dissolve is the same rule that led CMS to cut funding for Houston-based Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center Aug. 17 after a joint investigation by ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle highlighted an outsized number of transplant patient deaths and complications in the last few years. St. Luke’s appealed its Medicare termination with CMS Sept. 14.
“We do not believe CMS’ recent decisions reflect our ongoing progress and accomplishments to improve the quality of our care,” the hospital said in a statement cited by the Houston Chronicle.
More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:
101 dead in Congo’s Ebola outbreak as safety risks mount for health workers
17 sick, 1 dead in E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef
CMS cites 2nd Minnesota hospital for violating patient rights
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
