CMS is looking to create a national healthcare provider directory that would make it easier for Americans to find physicians and other providers.
CMS is soliciting public comments on the proposed database through Dec. 6. The agency wants to find out how health systems could be incentivized to engage with the data hub.
"The fragmentation of current provider directories requires inefficient, redundant reporting from providers," CMS wrote in its request for information. "Directories often contain inaccurate information, rarely support interoperable data exchange or public health reporting, and are overall costly to the healthcare industry."
Transitioning to a centralized directory would save the healthcare system $1.1 billion annually, according to the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare.
The CMS database would be application programming interface (API)-enabled and use HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, or FHIR, standards for improved interoperability.