Once again, CMS will shut down the Open Payments System for repairs, further evidence that the site is not ready to go public on September 30, the American Medical Association (AMA) said in a statement issued today.
“It is clear that the government’s website is not ready for prime time,” Robert M. Wah, MD, AMA president, said in the release. News that the system will be offline for periods of time on August 30 and September 5 supports the findings of an informal survey conducted by the AMA in which 68% of respondents said they had an overall poor registration experience, 62 percent of respondents who were able to access the system found that the data contained in the reports were inaccurate.
The AMA and more than 100 medical organizations, including the ACR, earlier called on CMS to delay making the site public for six months to give physicians more time to review the data and CMS more time to refine the implementation of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act.
Wah expressed concern about the damage inaccurate reports could cause physician reputations. In response to errors found in the database earlier this month, the agency agreed to hold one-third of the reports until spring, according to the AMA release.
Physicians have complained about the registration process for months: The guidebook for the system was lengthy (originally 359 pages) and inaccurate, and the time it takes to register (for those who succeeded) is more than an hour.
The AMA survey was conducted online and received 204 responses. More than 40 percent of respondents said they were not successful in registering.
Vice President, Executive Editor, Radiology Business
Cheryl began her career in journalism when Wite-Out was a relatively new technology. During the past 16 years, she has covered radiology and followed developments in healthcare policy. She holds a BA in History from the University of Delaware and likes nothing better than a good story, well told.