CMS calls for nationwide electronic provider directory

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will need an electronic means to correctly identify and locate healthcare providers who qualify to receive a share of the billions of dollars in meaningful use incentives provided under the stimulus law, its top health IT official said. One option being considered is a national electronic directory, which would enable CMS to communicate with thousands of physicians via the nationwide health information network (NHIN) to determine who is eligible to receive the incentive payments and to avoid making duplicating payments. "The need for a directory at the national level is critical, and it will only grow as HITECH and healthcare reform continues to develop over the next several years," said Tony Trenkle, director of CMS Office of e-Health Standards and Services. He spoke at a meeting Dec. 16th of a new NHIN workgroup of the federal advisory Health IT Policy Committee.