Publication of Two Final Rules “Medicare and Medicaid Program; Regulatory Provisions to Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction CMS-9070-F” and “Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Reform of Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Conditi

•Final Rule: The final rules CMS-9070-F and CMS-3244-F are on display and will publish on May 16, 2012. The rules will be effective July 16, 2012. •Overview: The final rules increase the ability of health care professionals to devote resources to improving patient care, by eliminating or reducing requirements that impede quality patient care, or that divert providing high quality patient care.•Background: In Executive Order 13563, “Improving Regulations and Regulatory Review”, the President directed each executive agency to establish a plan for ongoing retrospective review of existing significant regulations, to identify those rules that can be eliminated as obsolete, unnecessary, burdensome, or counterproductive or that can be modified to be more effective, efficient, flexible, and streamlined.