Government and public statistics
Previous FAQs: Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs (FAQ 19061)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A CMS frequently asked question on whether scribes may document in an electronic health record. The answer quotes the 21st Century Cures Act, which lets a physician delegate electronic medical record documentation to a scribe if the physician has signed and verified it.
- How much weight it carries
- An official CMS document, but it is a collection of previous FAQs and is undated on the page we read. It addresses electronic health record documentation under the Promoting Interoperability programs, not every scribe arrangement. Check the current CMS guidance before relying on it.
Facts taken from this source
- CMS's FAQ says the 21st Century Cures Act lets a physician delegate electronic medical record documentation to a person performing a scribe function, provided the physician has signed and verified the documentation.
“to a person performing a scribe function who is not such physician if such physician has signed and verified the documentation” (FAQ 19061, answer section, quoting section 13103(c) of the HITECH Act)