Webinar & Conference Call Series

Please note that participation in all AHA conference calls and webinars are by express written invitation from the AHA for AHA members only. Unauthorized participants, and/or any party that aids unauthorized participants, may be subject to criminal and civil penalties under both state and federal law, including the Electronic Communication Privacy Act.

2012 Webinar & Conference Call Series

Federal Update Webinar
Date: Monday, May 21, 2012
Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern DST (2 pm C, 1 pm M, Noon P, 11 am AK, 9 am HI)
Expected Call Duration: 60 minutes

The AHA Section for Small or Rural Hospitals will host a federal update webinar featuring Lisa Kidder, vice president, AHA Legislative Affairs, and Joanna Kim, sr. associate director, AHA Policy. Ms. Kidder will review the political environment and issues regarding the budget process and legislative advocacy for small or rural hospitals. Ms. Kim will review CMS rulemaking and other emerging regulatory and policy issues. Barbara Lorsbach, AHA senior vice president, Member Relations, will join us.

WEBINAR REPLAY

• Federal Update Webinar for Small or Rural Hospitals

WEBINAR PRESENTATION

• AHA Federal Update for Small or Rural Hospitals (PDF)

WEBINAR MATERIALS

• Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP) Panel Recommendations on Supervision of Hospital Outpatient Therapeutic Services
• AHA Comments to CMS Re: Recommendations of the HOP Panel

WEBINAR FEEDBACK

If you participated on the call, please take the time to share your feedback with us as it will help us plan future calls and webinars.

•  Feedback for May 21st Federal Update Webinar

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AHA Briefing on the Medicare Extenders Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act
Date: March 5, 2012
Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern DST (2 pm C, 1 pm M, Noon P, 11 am AK, 9 am HI)
Expected Call Duration: 30 minutes

The Middle Class Tax and Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 (HR 3630) prevents a 27.4 percent cut to Medicare physician payments that was scheduled to take effect March 1, providing physicians with a zero percent update for the remainder of the year. The law also extends several expiring Medicare provisions of importance to hospitals, including:

• Section 508 hospital wage index reclassifications (through March 31)
• The outpatient hold-harmless provision for rural hospitals and sole community hospitals with less than 100 beds (through Jan. 1, 2013)
• Payments for the technical component of certain physician pathology services (through June 30)
• Ambulance add-on payments (through Dec. 31)

These Medicare extenders are among several included in the R-HoPE or the Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act (S 1680/HR 3859) and are an important part of AHA’s Advocacy Agenda for small or rural hospitals. The call was hosted by Barbara Lorsbach, senior vice president, AHA Member Relations, who was joined by Lisa Kidder, Vice President, AHA Legislative Affairs; Roslyne Schulman, director, AHA Policy; and Joanna Kim, senior associate director, AHA Policy.

• CALL BACKGROUND
  Special Bulletin: Agreement Reached on Physician Payment Fix, Other Extenders (members only)
• CALL RECORDING
  AHA Briefing on Medicare Extenders Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act
  

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Federal Update Webinar
Date: February 13, 2012
Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern DST (2 pm C, 1 pm M, Noon P, 11 am AK, 9 am HI)
Expected Call Duration: 60 minutes

The AHA Section for Small or Rural Hospitals hosted a federal update webinar featuring Lisa Kidder, vice president, AHA Legislative Affairs, and Joanna Kim, sr. associate director, AHA Policy. Ms. Kidder reviewed the political environment and issues regarding the budget process and legislative advocacy for small or rural hospitals. Ms. Kim reviewed CMS rulemaking and other emerging regulatory and policy issues. Barbara Lorsbach, AHA senior vice president, Member Relations, joined the call.

• WEBINAR PRESENTATION
  February 13th AHA Federal Update Webinar (PDF)
• WEBINAR REPLAY
  AHA Federal Update Webinar for Small or Rural Hospitals
  

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Conference Call with Critical Access Hospitals
Date: January 24, 2012
Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern DST (2 pm C, 1 pm M, Noon P, 11 am AK, 9 am HI)
Expected Call Duration: 30 minutes

The Medicare program requires its beneficiaries to pay a portion of the cost of their care, but many beneficiaries cannot pay these amounts to the hospital, resulting in bad debt.  Historically, the Medicare program has reimbursed hospitals for a portion of the Medicare bad debt incurred by its beneficiaries, particularly those with low incomes. House bill H.R. 3630 would reduce bad debt payments from 100 percent for critical access hospitals to 55 percent, over three years starting in 2013 - a 45 percent cut to bad debt reimbursement.

A conference call was scheduled for January 24, 2012 to review the impact of bad debt on Critical Access Hospitals and how this new federal policy may adversely affect them. Members joined Lisa Kidder, vice president, AHA Legislative Affairs and Joanna Kim, senior associate director, AHA Policy, as they shared how reducing or eliminating bad debt reimbursement would disproportionately affect hospitals that treat high numbers of low-income Medicare beneficiaries - safety-net hospitals and rural hospitals - especially CAHs.

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2011 Webinar & Conference Call Series

AHA Presentation for Critical Access Hospitals on the Medicare EHR Incentive Program
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2011

AHA Advocacy Strategy for CAH Proximity Call
Thursday, October 27, 2011

AHA Briefing for CAHs on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Federal Update Webinar for Small or Rural Hospitals
Monday, October 17, 2011

AHA Briefing on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction Strategy for Rural Hospitals (CAHs)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

AHA Briefing on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction Strategy for Rural Hospitals
Wednesday, September 14, 2011

AHA Management Strategies Webinar:
The Recruitment and Retention of Rural Primary Care Physicians
Monday, June 6, 2011

Federal Update Webinar for Small or Rural Hospitals
Thursday, May 26, 2011

2010 Webinar & Conference Call Series

Policy Update on Outpatient Supervision Webinar
November 19, 2010

"New Access Point Grants and CHC/Rural Hospital Collaboration" Webinar
October 28, 2010

"New Access Point Grants and CHC/Rural Hospital Collaboration" Webinar
October 18, 2010

HIT "Meaningful Use" - Rural Considerations
August 6, 2010

Costs of Provider Taxes as Allowable Costs for CAHs
August 5, 2010

"Outpatient PPS Proposed Rule" Webinar 
July 27, 2010

Federal Update Webinar 
July 12, 2010

Changes to Small or Rural Hospitals in the IPPS Proposed Rule
May 27, 2010

Federal Update Webinar 
March 16, 2010

Policy Update on Physician Supervision Webinar
February 19, 2010

Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology Conference Call
Topic: Rural Considerations
February 9, 2010

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2009 Webinar & Conference Call Series

Webinars in 2009 included discussions on health reform for small and rural hospitals, including critical access hospitals (CAHs), help for tweener hospitals, federal updates physician supervision, and health information technology for CAHs.

Health Reform and Critical Access Hospitals Webcast
December 11, 2009

340 B and Health Reform for Small or Rural Hospitals 
November 2, 2009

340 B and Health Reform for CAHs
November 2, 2009

Update on Help for Tweeners Webinar
September 28, 2009

Federal Update Webinar 
September 16, 2009

Physician Supervision
July 17, 2009

Low-Volume Rural PPS Hospitals
July 2, 2009

Critical Access Hospitals HIT
April 20, 2009

Federal Update Webinar
March 11, 2009