Regulatory Relief

The regulatory burden faced by hospitals is substantial and unsustainable.

Every day, hospitals, health systems and post-acute care providers confront the daunting task of complying with a growing number of federal regulations. They are constantly challenged to understand and implement new or revised regulations, while maintaining their core mission of providing high-quality patient care.

Providers appreciate that federal regulation is intended to ensure that health care patients receive safe, high-quality care, and prioritize it as a critical part of their day-to-day work.

But the scope and pace of the changes being made is out-stripping many providers’ ability to absorb them. At the same time, many of these regulations do not improve the quality of patient care or access to services.

Providers need relief now. Read on for more information and resources on the AHA's regulatory relief agenda.

AHA comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed guidance for hospital co-location with other hospitals or health care facilities.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today requested new and innovative ideas for reducing administrative burdens for health care providers and patients as part of its Patients over Paperwork initiative.
Hospitals and health systems understand the importance of making health care more affordable for everyone and they “have been tackling the issue head on, taking steps to redesign care and implement operational efficiencies,” AHA told Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., in response to a letter seeking…
As the 2019 chair of the AHA’s Section for Small or Rural Hospitals, I can attest that AHA is stepping up in a big way to grapple with the issues that affect many rural hospitals.
Commenting Friday on the Office of the National Coordinator’s draft strategy to reduce regulatory and administrative burden related to health information technology and electronic health record use, AHA commended the agency for its attention to reducing excessive burden.
AHA comments on draft report from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology entitled “Strategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burden Relating to the Use to of Health IT and EHRs.”
The Federal Trade Commission’s approach to reviewing hospital mergers “is overbroad, does not properly credit the many pro-consumer benefits of hospital transactions, and ignores key realities of the marketplace,” according to an analysis submitted to the agency for a series of FTC hearings on…
Download the letter (PDF) below Re: CMS—3346—P, Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Regulatory Provisions To Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction; Proposed Rule (Vol. 83, No. 183), Sept. 20, 2018.
On Sept. 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a proposed rule for reforming Medicare regulations that the agency identified as unnecessary, obsolete or excessively burdensome on health care providers and suppliers. Comments are due by Nov. 19.