The CMS last week issued a rule designed to save $660 million annually and $3.2 billion over five years by eliminating regulations that are outdated or unnecessary.

One provision removes the requirement that a physician must be held to a prescriptive schedule for being on-site at critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, and federally qualified health centers. Another change frees up registered dieticians and qualified nutritionists to order patient diets directly without having to get prior approval of a physician or other practitioner. The rule also allows trained nuclear medicine technicians in hospitals to prepare radiopharmaceuticals for nuclear medicine without the supervising physician or pharmacist constantly being present.

Read the CMS press release here.