CMS-Required Hospital Event Notifications Begin May 1, 2021

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access final rule in May 2020, adding a new requirement to the Conditions of Participation (CoP) for hospitals.

The new rule requires hospitals to begin sending Event Notifications (sometimes known as Alerts) to a patient’s established Primary Care Providers (PCPs) and Post-Acute Care (PAC) Providers and Suppliers when a patient is admitted, discharged, or transferred from an inpatient stay or from the emergency department (ED).  Other practitioners identified by the patient as responsible for their care will also be notified.

The Event Notifications requirement goes into effect on May 1, 2021.

The following hospitals have requested etHIN send Event Notifications on their behalf:

• Covenant Health
  • Claiborne Medical Center
  • Cumberland Medical Center
  • Loudoun Medical Center
  • Sanders Regional Medical Center
  • LeConte Medical Center
  • Morristown Hamblen Medical Center
  • Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge
  • Parkwest Medical Center
  • Roane Medical Center
• East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
• University of Tennessee Medical Center

Information provided in the notification includes:

• Patient Name
• Sending Institution (hospital name)
• Treating Practitioner (attending physician during the hospital event)
• Event Type and Date

Your office can receive these Event Notifications at no cost (depending on the delivery method chosen) when a patient identifies you during a hospital stay as their

• Primary Care Provider or Practice
• Post-Acute Care Provider/Supplier or
• Other Provider responsible for their care.

How to receive Event Notifications:

• Log into your NPPES account at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/#/, and enter or update your Direct secure email address, as CMS requests in the new rule, or
• Submit your electronic contact information to etHIN at Info@ethin.org for our Provider Directory.

For additional details, please visit etHIN’s Hospital Event Notifications webpage or contact etHIN at Info@ethin.org.