As the federal website through which physicians can review their Sunshine Act financial data continues to experience technical problems, you can share your experience using the site in a brief survey, open through Monday. The survey findings will be presented to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as the AMA seeks improvements and a six-month extension for physicians.
In addition to the survey, you can send an email to [email protected] to outline your experience registering and the problems you may have encountered.
Update: As of Thursday morning, CMS reported that the site was back online. Physicians can now complete steps 1 and 2 of the registration process. Detailed information about how to complete each part of the process is available on the AMA Sunshine Act Web page.
The portal for the Sunshine Act, also known as the “Open Payments program,” was taken offline last week so CMS could “investigate a reported issue.” The agency said it would adjust the dispute deadline for each day the Open Payments system is offline but hasn’t issued an update on the new deadline. The site reportedly has been down since Aug. 3.
At the same time, physicians who previously were able to complete the process of registering and reviewing their data reported numerous difficulties with navigating the portal. The process has proven to be confusing and time-consuming.
Citing these issues, the AMA and 112 specialty and state medical societies urged CMS earlier this month to postpone the release of physician financial data from the current Sept. 30 date until March 31. The groups also pointed to the agency’s lack of communication surrounding the review and dispute process, ongoing website problems and the short timeline for physicians.
Watch AMA Wire® for additional updates.
Get insights into the Sunshine Act process: Don’t forget to follow the AMA on Twitter and check out our #SunshineTips and share your own insights into the registration and review process.
