Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

What does CMS stand for in healthcare compliance?

In healthcare compliance, CMS is an abbreviation that refers to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

What is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) was created as a byproduct of the Social Security Amendments, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in July of 1965. The Social Security Amendments initiated the creation of the healthcare services we know as Medicaid and Medicare. Later, in 1977, the Health Care Finance Administration was established to manage Medicaid, Medicare, and other healthcare-related programs and services. Back then, the Health Care Finance Administration was a part of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In July of 2001, the Health Care Finance Administration was renamed “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.” Now, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have ten regional offices located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. 

So what exactly is CMS? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a federal agency that provides healthcare programs and services, improves healthcare programs and services, and releases information about healthcare programs and services. The goal of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is to supply excellent healthcare programs and services by: 

• • Granting access to quality healthcare programs and services

  • Guaranteeing improved healthcare programs and services

  • Improving the health of those served by the healthcare programs and services

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services supplies millions of people with healthcare services through a number of programs. These programs include:

• • Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

  • Medicaid

  • Medicare

  • Health Insurance Marketplace

In addition to looking after these healthcare programs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issues information regarding healthcare services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services make sure that people are in the loop when it comes to information about costs, deductibles, and premiums. 

Another service that CMS provides to the American people is the gathering and evaluating of data, followed by the issuing of reports regarding the data. Why does CMS do that? It’s because the agency is trying to minimize harmful or fraudulent healthcare practices. In fact, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversees the Administrative Simplification Standards. By following the Administrative Simplification Standards, patient privacy and security are assured, the use of electronic health records (EHRs) is encouraged, and the rules of HIPAA are observed and complied with. 

Overall, CMS is an excellent agency that always puts the patient first. 

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