AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION for AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

Medicare/Medicaid MMM

Submitted comments on the Hatch Entitlement Reform in support of the several key reforms proposed for the Medicare program as alternative reductions to provider payments; Support S 351 Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act, a bill to repeal the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act providing for the Independent Payment Advisory Board; Support HR 297, Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013, the bill would reauthorize the CHGME program for anadditional five years through fiscal year (FY) 2017; Support HR 1250 and S 1012 Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve operations of recovery auditors under the Medicare integrity program, to increase transparency and accuracy in audits conducted by contractors; Support S. 596 Fostering Independence Through Technology Act of 2014, a bill to establish pilot projects under the Medicare program to provide incentives for home health agencies to furnish remote patient monitoring services that reduce expenditures under such program; Requested the Health Resource and Service Admin (HRSA) to delay the compliance date by at least six months to allow sufficient time for affected hospitals to make the necessary modifications to their existing inventory management practices as required by the new GPO guidance and recommend that HRSA continue to work with affected 340B hospitals to provide guidance and education on the GPO compliance issues.; Discussion of the Medicaid ACA implementation --DSH, expansion, eligibility at CMS; Discussion of the implementation of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) specifically, the outpatient therapy provision and extension of the MDH program and enhanced low-volume adjustment at CMS; Urged CMS to allow the second option of reporting given that individual electronic health records (EHRs) or hospitals may not be ready to report inpatient quality reporting (IQR) measures electronically by a date certain of the implementation of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs with CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC); Opposing CMSs proposed rule on Part A to Part B rebilling as too limiting regarding what claims would qualify for rebilling; Support HR 1787 and S 842 Rural Hospital Access Act of 2013, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an extension of the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program and the increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program; Support HR 1920 DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a delay in the implementation schedule of the reductions in disproportionate share hospital payments; AHA submitted a statement to the Presidents and Other Bipartisan Proposals to Reform Medicare Post-Acute Care Payments hearing to provide input on proposals to reform Medicares post-acute care payment systems; AHA submitted a statement to the Program Integrity: Oversight of Recovery Audit Contractors hearing supporting increased oversight of Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs); Support HR 2578 Rural Hospital Fairness Act of 2013, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend for one year the hold harmless provision for small rural hospitals and sole community hospitals under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services related to enhanced physician supervision requirements; AHA submitted a statement to the Health Care Quality: The Path Forward hearing in support of improving transparency for the public, continuing and enhancing support of efforts to improve the safety and quality of the care delivered, and reduce unnecessary hospital expenditures.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); SENATE; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Labor, Dept of (DOL)

Bills named: H.R. 1250 (113th), H.R. 297 (113th), H.R. 1920 (113th), H.R. 2578 (113th), H.R. 1787 (113th), S. 596 (113th)

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

Supporting the importance and continuation of the tax codes charitable contribution provisions for Americas nonprofit hospitals.

Contacted: SENATE; Labor, Dept of (DOL); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Health Issues HCR

Support The Importance of Rural Health Access for American Communities and the need for rural hospitals and their value to rural areas; Support of HR 1326 Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act of 2013, to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for increased price transparency of hospital information and to provide for additional research on consumer information on charges and out-of-pocket costs; Support CMS proposed rule aimed at reducing burden and and promoting efficiency for hospitals,critical access hospitals and other providers. The rule addresses stakeholder concerns about governance-related provisions in the most recent changes to the Medicare Conditions of Participation; Support S 689 Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013, a bill to reauthorize and improve programs related to mental health and substance use disorders; Support S 961Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2013, a bill to improve access to emergency medical services; Support S 1143 Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services (PARTS) Act, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to physician supervision of therapeutic hospital outpatient services; Oppose HR 2027 Expanding Patients' Access to Quality Care Act of 2013, a bill to amend section 1877 of the Social Security Act to modify the requirements for hospitals to qualify for the rural provider and hospital exception to physician ownership or investment prohibition in order to take into account hospitals that were under construction or development at the time of imposing such requirements, hospital expansions, and hospitals in financial distress; Supporting the Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act of 2013 to require States to have or establish requirements for disclosure of information on hospital charges for certain services and require insurers to provide enrollees with information on out-of-pocket expenditures upon request.

Contacted: SENATE; Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Bills named: H.R. 1326 (113th), H.R. 2027 (113th)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

Opposing cuts to hospital payments in the Senate and House FY 2014 budget resolutions as savings to pay for replacement of sequester reductions. Monitoring develpoments related to HR 933 The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013, a bill making appropriations for the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other departments and agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013.

Contacted: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Labor, Dept of (DOL); SENATE; Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

Bills named: H.R. 933 (113th)

Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR

Support HR 803 Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act, a bill to reform and strengthen the workforce investment system of the Nation to put Americans back to work and make the United States more competitive in the 21st century. Opposing Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) within the Department of Labor continued attempt to expand their jurisdiction over hospitals participating in TRICARE despite the NDAA exemption and the ARBs decision in Florida Hospital;Support HR 1406 Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013, a bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide compensatory time for employees in the private sector; Support HR 2346 Secret Ballot Protection Act, a bill to amend the National Labor Relations Act to ensure the right of employees to a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.

Contacted: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Labor, Dept of (DOL); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; SENATE

Bills named: H.R. 1406 (113th), H.R. 803 (113th), H.R. 2346 (113th)

Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice LAW

Supporting extension of the Stark/anti-kickback regulations related to HIT donations from hospitals to physicians; Supporting framework for revising Stark/anti-kickback to permitting gainsharing arrangements.

Contacted: Labor, Dept of (DOL); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); SENATE; Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)