Late Wednesday, the US Senate passed the Electronic Health Fairness Act of 2015 (S 1347). This legislation, one of ASCA's priority bills, protects physicians practicing in ASCs from meaningful use penalties in the Medicare program until a certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) is available for the ASC setting.  Similar legislation passed the US House of Representatives in June.

ASCA worked closely with ASC champions Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Senator Michael Bennett (D-CO) to introduce and move this legislation in the US Senate, and ASCA member advocates built a critical mass of support in Congress to achieve final passage.

Now that the legislation has passed both the House and the Senate, the chambers must work together to reconcile slightly different legislation into one cohesive bill. ASCA will continue to keep members apprised of any new developments on this topic.  For more information, contact Kristin Murphy at kmurphy@ascassociation.org.