Electronic health records rule sets up "bridge to nowhere" insurers say

• But health plans say it's a "bridge to nowhere" without a requirement that EHR vendors implement electronic prior authorization.

The details: Prior authorization, the process by which providers get clearance that a service is covered, often still involves time-consuming paperwork such as faxing documents.

• Insurance companies will have to begin the process of modernizing the process due to other rules the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is finalizing this spring. But they say it will be all be for naught without a parallel requirement for EHR vendors.

Zoom out: CMS' rule aims to digitize the prior authorization process in an effort to streamline negotiations between payers and providers. Insurers will have to implement electronic prior authorization for Medicare, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act exchange plans.

• CMS estimates these efficiencies will save physician practices and hospitals $15 billion over a decade.