The public policy discussion at HIMSS13 last week had the variety and flavor of a great New Orleans Gumbo! One of the most significant presentations I witnessed was Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner’s session on Wednesday morning.

Ms. Tavenner confirmed earlier CMS statements that the Medicare EHR Incentive Payments will be subject to the 2 percent reduction in Medicare payments triggered by sequestration. All Medicare programs are subject to the cut, which will take effect on April 1, 2013. Sequestration protects Medicaid payments.

We are waiting for clarity on if these cuts will affect payments from February Meaningful Use Attestations. This was a significant concern from the audience, and Ms. Tavenner took the question as a follow-up item for verification.  When the process is confirmed, CMS will need to commit to paying the 2012 incentive payments “out the door” before the April 1 deadline.

[Reporter's notebook: EHR and HIE dispatches from HIMSS13]

Perhaps most significant to the audience was Ms. Tavenner’s pronouncement that there will be no federal rulemaking in 2013 around meaningful use – in particular, this means Meaningful Use Stage 3 will not be released this year. This is intended to reassure eligible providers and hospitals that 2013 will be a time of evaluation of Stage 2, and will allow concentration on implementation and stabilization. This announcement, and the release of a CMS and ONC dual request for information around interoperability last week, signaled the federal government’s commitment to exploring policy and payment levers to build on the Stage 2 groundwork toward interoperability.

Finally, Ms. Tavenner concluded her remarks with an announcement that CMS will not be changing the transition date for ICD-10 from October 2014. She also mentioned that CMS is working with the HHS Inspector General on possible solutions to the Stark and Anti Kick-Back Act sunset provisions before the December 31, 2013 deadline; and will be taking a hard look at Medicare Program Integrity.

Now that we have traveled back from HIMSS13, what were your takeaways?  How do you and your organization anticipate meeting the deadlines that CMS has identified?

Tom Leary, MALA, CAE, FHIMSS, is HIMSS Vice President of Government Relations. This article was originally published on the HIMSS blog.

Related HIMSS13 coverage:

What scares health pros most about omnibus HIPAA rule

Q&A: Mostashari on sequester, RECs, CommonWell

Pros and cons of the app economy

Don't dive in that dumpster: Preparing for an OCR audit

Q&A: Focusing on state 5 HIEs and the lessons they've learned

Today's EHRs and the Model-T