CMS is seeking provider input on creating a directory with information on health care providers and services or a “National Directory of Healthcare Providers and Services” (NDH).
 
According to CMS, health care directories can serve as an important resource for patients, helping them locate providers who meet their individual needs and preferences and allowing them to compare health plan networks. Directories also have the ability to facilitate care coordination, health information exchange, and public health data reporting.
 
“Currently, the health care directory landscape is fragmented, resulting in patients sometimes struggling to find up-to-date information about providers in their network and providers facing redundant and burdensome reporting requirements to multiple databases,” CMS noted in a release.
 
Because of that burden, directories often contain inaccurate information, rarely support interoperable data exchange or public health reporting, and are costly to the health care industry.
 
CMS is seeking public input on a directory that could serve as a “centralized data hub” for all health care directory and digital contact information with accurate, up-to-date and validated data in a publicly accessible index, developed through streamlined information submission from providers.
 
CMS is seeking comment on how a CMS-led directory could reduce directory maintenance burden on providers and payers by creating a single, centralized system, promoting real-time accuracy for patients. Using modern interoperable technology would allow payers to update their own directories seamlessly from a single directory through an Application Programming Interface (API).
 
It could also make data available in a format that would ease health data exchange between providers and improve public health reporting, a need highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, a CMS-led directory could directly support network interoperability through the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).
 
The RFI is open for a 60-day public comment period ending December 6, 2022.
 
To read and respond to the RFI, visit https://bit.ly/3D5eMzj.