Advisories

Hospital Compare - New Readmissions & Mortality Data

June 29, 2009 In the near future, information on 30-day readmission rates for Medicare patients experiencing heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia will be publicly available for the first time on the public-private Web site, Hospital Compare.
Read More...

Summary of House Tri-Committee Health Care Reform Legislation: Discussion Draft Members Only

June 26, 2009 On June 19, House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) released their draft health care reform legislation.
Read More...

Long-Term Care Hospital PPS Members Only

June 19, 2009 On May 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published in the Federal Register its hospital inpatient and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule for federal fiscal year (FY) 2010.
Read More...

MMSEA Section 111: New Mandatory Reporting under Medicare Secondary Payer Law Members Only

June 18, 2009 Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 created new reporting requirements that will apply to many hospitals under the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) law. Hospitals that self-insure (as defined by MSP) their liability or self-fund a workers' compensation plan or a group health plan (GHP) may be subject to the new reporting requirements.
Read More...

Hospitals and Health Reform Members Only

June 17, 2009 As your national representative, the AHA is working to ensure that the needs of hospitals and the communities they serve are reflected in any health care reform legislation that is passed this year.
Read More...

Skilled Nursing Facility PPS: The Proposed Rule for FY 2010 Members Only

June 15, 2009 On May 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published Federal Register the Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2010.
Read More...

Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility PPS: The Proposed Rule for FY 2010 Members Only

June 15, 2009 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on May 6 published in the Federal Register the inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule for fiscal year (FY) 2010.
Read More...

Congress Expands Liability Under False Claims Act Members Only

June 04, 2009 Signed into law on May 20, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 (FERA) is primarily directed at protection against mortgage fraud. However, the FERA also contains several significant expansions of the federal civil False Claims Act (FCA), which has not been altered in more than 20 years.
Read More...

Senate Finance Committee Financing Options Members Only

May 22, 2009 Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on May 18 released a set of policy options for financing comprehensive health care reform. The paper seeks to lay out for Senate Finance Committee (SFC) members a series of options to reduce Medicare and Medicaid spending and increase federal revenues to fund coverage expansions and other health reform investments.
Read More...

Senate Finance Committee Expanding Health Coverage: Proposals to Provide Affordable Coverage Members Only

May 19, 2009 Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on May 11 released a set of policy options for expanding affordable health care coverage. The paper seeks to lay out for Finance Committee members a series of options, without recommendation, on the major coverage design issues, insurance reform, national insurance exchange, public plan, subsidies for low-income, Medicaid expansion and mandates for coverage for individuals and employers.
Read More...