VIZIENT, INC. for VIZIENT INC

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

Not-For-Profit Hospital Tax Exemption - Conducted outreach and education efforts related to the new requirements for tax-exempt not-for-profit hospitals that were included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); SENATE

Health Issues HCR

Hospital Group Purchasing - Conducted outreach and education efforts on the value provided to hospitals by group purchasing organizations. Tracked the release of reports from the Senate Finance Committee and the Government Accountability Office on hospital group purchasing. Health Care Information Technology - tracked regulations that would determine if hospitals would be considered meaningful users of electronic health records and advocated for legislative changes that would allow incentive payments to providers in multi-campus settings (H.R. 6072, S. 3708). Opposed possible expansion of current Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requirements for the privacy of health information. Unique Device Identification - Advocated for the release of regulations establishing a unique device identification system for medical devices as required by the Food and Drug Amendments Act of 2006. 340B (of the Public Health Services Act) Drug Pricing Program - tracked technical changes to provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that would allow children's hospitals access to 340B pricing for orphan drugs included in H.R. 5712.

Contacted: Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Bills named: H.R. 6072 (111th), H.R. 5712 (111th), S. 3708 (111th)

Medicare/Medicaid MMM

Medicare Physician Payments - Advocated for a long-term solution to avoid a cut in Medicare physician payments. Supported passage of H.R. 5712. Medicare Bundled Payments and Hospital-Physician Alignment - discussed possible legislative language to help facilitate more effective hospital-physician alignment, including possible expansion of certain types of gainsharing arrangements. Accountable Care Organizations - tracked the policy implications of the possible release of regulations establishing the Medicare Shared Savings Program, which allows the creation of Accountable Care Organizations. Hospital Value Based Purchasing - conducted outreach and tracked policy implications regarding the potential release of regulations establishing a hospital value based purchasing system.

Contacted: SENATE; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Bills named: H.R. 5712 (111th)