Today, hundreds of hospital leaders are reaching out to their members of Congress to talk about the challenges facing their patients and communities.

What are the issues facing hospitals and health systems today? Recent developments regarding the so-called site-neutral payment provisions included in the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) proposed rule and legislation, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), among others.

The American Hospital Association recently provided comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) on their implementation of the site-neutral provisions contained in Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BiBA). The AHA is extremely concerned the proposal would prevent hospitals from being able to continue to provide the current level of necessary, innovative and high-quality health care in their communities.

In addition, hospital leaders are focusing on the impact of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP). Hospitals and health systems continue to improve patient care, but readmissions penalties continue to rise. This new infographic illustrates that while hospitals have reduced readmissions by 565,000 since 2010, they’ve been penalized $1.9 billion by the HRRP. In addition, the program needs the desired sociodemographic adjustment to even the playing field.

As hospital leaders highlight the value of the services they provide to their communities back home, they ask lawmakers to protect care. 

Related News Articles

Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services July 10 announced it will provide resources and flexibilities to health care providers and residents who…
Headline
The AHA July 2 expressed support for the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 3890), bipartisan legislation that would add 14,000 Medicare-funded…
Headline
The House July 3 voted 218-214 to pass the final version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which enacts many of President Trump’s legislative…
Headline
The Senate narrowly passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) on July 1 by a 50-50 tally, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.…
Headline
The AHA June 29 sent a letter to senators urging them to amend the budget reconciliation bill before its final passage in the Senate. The Senate version of the…
Headline
The Joint Commission June 30 announced a new, streamlined process that removes 714 requirements from its hospital accreditation program. The new program,…