HHS begins purge of 'excessively burdensome' healthcare rules

The Obama administration is proposing to reform existing healthcare regulations and purge unnecessary ones, a move that it says would save $3.4 billion over five years.

The Department of Health and Human Services has rolled out suggestions for changes at healthcare facilities that would eliminate red tape in the workplace. Specifically, the proposals would make it so that hospital workers and technicians can perform "tasks they are trained to do, without requiring the supervision or approval of a physician or other practitioner," according to the department.

“We are committed to cutting the red tape for health care facilities,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “By eliminating outdated or overly burdensome requirements, hospitals and healthcare professionals can focus on treating patients.”

The 114-page proposal covers a range of medical positions and services, including the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, such as cancer treatments for patients, and eliminating "redundant data submission" to transplant centers.

President Obama signed an executive order in 2011 that ordered agencies and departments to root out unnecessary regulations.

HHS says it is "committed to the president's vision of creating an environment where agencies incorporate and integrate the ongoing retrospective review of regulations ... to achieve a more streamlined and effective regulatory framework."

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