GREATER NEW YORK HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION for GREATER NEW YORK HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

Health Issues HCR

Support revisions to Medicaid DSH policy to include dual-eligible patients in state DSH cap calculation. Discuss support for the 340B Drug Pricing Program with Congressional staff and oppose changes. Advocate for proposals to provide direct financial support to safety net hospitals with Congressional staff. Discuss opposition of site-neutral payment policies with Congressional staff. Discuss FEMA reimbursement for Employee Support Costs and Hazard Pay with FEMA. Discuss FEMA reimbursement for Employee Support Costs and Hazard Pay with Congressional staff. Discuss hospital and health care provisions included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 with Congressional staff. Discuss the following legislative proposals with Congressional staff to stabilize long-term care and post-acute care providers: establish a temporary per diem Medicare payment to ease capacity issues and address financial challenges from slow discharges (support); make permanent three-day hospital stay waiver (support) and other COVID-19 PHE regulatory flexibilities. Discuss nursing and ancillary health care staff shortages and support reforms: faculty recruitment and retention, additional financial support for supervision and precepting students, testing new workforce models, establishing incentives and early recruitment strategies, providing funding for clinical training site, and immigration reforms that expedite entry for foreign health care workers. Discuss telehealth issues with Congressional staff and support the permanent extension of PHE telehealth flexibilities: removing Medicare geographic and originating site restrictions, expanding the list of practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services, extending telehealth services for federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics, delaying in-person Medicare requirements related to behavioral health care, and allowing audio-only services. Support the permanent extension of the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver. Support Medicare Advantage prior authorization reforms and pass Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (support). Discuss the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act with Congressional staff. Discuss the Pathway to Practice Act of 2021 with Congressional staff. Discuss commercial insurance issues and health care workforce shortages with Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Discuss GME provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 with HHS staff. Educate Congressional staff on hospital price transparency federal rule. Respond to Senate HELP Committee Request for Information (RFI) on workforce shortages and supply legislative recommendations. Discuss legislative recommendations from Senate HELP Committee RFI response letter on workforce shortages with Senate Finance Committee staff. Discuss Making Care Primary model with CMMI staff. Discuss Medicare payment for nursing and allied health with Senate Finance Committee staff. Discuss end of PHE billing with HHS Health Insurance Administrator. Discuss community benefit standard and tax-exempt status of non-profit hospitals with Congressional staff. Respond to Senate RFI on 340B Drug Pricing Program. Discuss 340B remedy proposed rule with Congressional staff. Discuss FDA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Laboratory Developed Tests with Congressional staff. Discuss HHS Climate Pledge and Inflation Reduction Act funding with HHS staff. Meet with Senate staff to discuss requests for health care workforce investments in FY 2024 Labor-HHS-Ed appropriations legislation. Meet with Congressional staff to discuss H.R. 5378, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2023, and comment on following proposals in bill: support for delay of Medicaid DSH cut, codification and expansion of Federal price transparency rule, oppose changes to 340B drug pricing program, support reauthorization of Community Health Centers, support reauthorization of National Health Service Corps, support reauthorization of Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education funding. Oppose Medicare site-neutral cuts, sequester cuts, and national provider identifier proposals in H.R. 4822, the Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023. Oppose H.R. 4509 to require a separate unique health identifier for hospital outpatient departments. Discuss H.R. 3561, the PATIENT Act, with Congressional staff and comment on following proposals within bill: codification of Federal price transparency rule, opposition to changes to Inpatient Only List, opposition to Medicare site-neutral policies, opposition to attestation requirements for hospital outpatient departments, opposition to changes to 340B drug pricing program, support for delay of Medicaid DSH cuts, support for Medicare Advantage plan reporting requirements, support for Community Health Center Fund and National Health Service Corps reauthorization. Comment on legislative proposals in S.2840, the Primary Care and Health Workforce Expansion Act: oppose eliminating facility fees, oppose requiring a separate identification number for off-campus hospital outpatient departments.

Contacted: Congressional Budget Office (CBO); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Executive Office of the President (EOP); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)

Bills named: H.R. 4822 (118th), S. 2840 (118th), H.R. 5378 (118th), H.R. 4509 (118th), H.R. 3561 (118th)

Medicare/Medicaid MMM

Meet with Congressional staff and discuss support for Medicare graduate medical education funding, including support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, the Opioid Workforce Act, Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, the Pathway to Practice program proposal, and the Presidents FY 2024 budget request. Advocate for the inclusion of Medicare GME funding in FY 2024 federal budget. Meet with HHS Region II to discuss GME legislation - the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act. Discuss Medicare and Medicaid issues with HHS Assistant Secretary for Legislation. Support delay of Medicaid DSH cut and advocate for passage of legislation to delay Medicaid DSH Cut (H.R. 2665, Supporting Safety Net Hospitals Act). Support revisions to Medicaid DSH policy to include dual-eligible patients in state DSH cap calculation. Discuss Medicaid waiver proposal with Congressional staff and HHS. Discuss telehealth issues with Congressional staff and support for the permanent extension of PHE telehealth flexibilities. Discuss Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver and support for its permanent extension. Discuss legislation to provide support for safety net hospitals. Discuss issues concerning DSH hospitals with the Executive Branch. Meet with CMS Innovation Center to discuss CMMI models of care. Discuss proposals that stabilize long-term care and post-acute care providers: establish a temporary per diem Medicare payment to ease capacity issues and address financial challenges from slow discharges (support), make permanent three-day hospital stay waiver (support) and other COVID-19 PHE regulatory flexibilities. Discuss opposition of site-neutral payment policies with Congressional staff. Discuss telehealth issues with Congressional staff and support the permanent extension of PHE telehealth flexibilities: removing Medicare geographic and originating site restrictions, expanding the list of practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services, extending telehealth services for federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics, delaying in-person Medicare requirements related to behavioral health care, and allowing audio-only services. Support Medicare Advantage prior authorization reforms and pass Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (support). Discuss Making Care Primary model with CMMI staff. Discuss Medicaid waiver application with CMS staff. Discuss CMMI initiatives on global budgets and primary care in NYS Medicaid waiver application. Meet with CMS staff regarding Medicare managed care. Discuss Medicare payment for nursing and allied health with Senate Finance Committee staff. Express opposition to Medicaid work requirements in Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 to Congressional staff. Discuss Medicaid IMD exclusion policies with Congressional staff. Discuss with Congressional staff support for revisions to FY 2024 IPPS proposed rule to increase payment update to hospitals. Meet with Congressional staff to discuss H.R. 5378, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2023, and comment on following proposals in bill: support for delay of Medicaid DSH cut, codification and expansion of Federal price transparency rule, oppose changes to 340B drug pricing program, support reauthorization of Community Health Centers, support reauthorization of National Health Service Corps, support reauthorization of Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education funding. Oppose Medicare site-neutral cuts, sequester cuts, and national provider identifier proposals in H.R. 4822, the Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023. Oppose H.R. 4509 to require a separate unique health identifier for hospital outpatient departments. Discuss H.R. 3561, the PATIENT Act, with Congressional staff and comment on following proposals within bill: opposition to Medicare site-neutral policies, opposition to attestation requirements for hospital outpatient departments, opposition to changes to 340B drug pricing program, support for delay of Medicaid DSH cuts, support for Medicare Advantage plan reporting requirements, support for Community Health Center Fund and National Health Service Corps reauthorization. Discussion with congressional staff regarding Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) rulemaking.

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

Bills named: H.R. 4822 (118th), H.R. 4509 (118th), H.R. 2665 (118th), H.R. 3561 (118th), H.R. 5378 (118th)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

Advocate for inclusion of Medicare GME funding in the Presidents FY 2024 Budget Request and FY 2024 appropriations legislation. Discuss Medicare GME funding in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 with Congressional staff and HHS staff. Discuss Medicare Nursing and Allied Health Education Payment Policies in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 Section 4143 Implementation with House Ways and Means staff. Meeting with House Ways and Means Committee staff to discuss safety net hospital funding issues and payments for safety net hospitals. Meeting with CMS Regional Administration to discuss safety net funding issues. Meet with Senate staff to discuss requests for health care workforce investments in FY 2024 Labor-HHS-Ed appropriations legislation.

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