AHA shares Medicare concerns of hospitals, post-acute providers with Congress

The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee yesterday held a hearing on the status of the Medicare program, including payment provisions set to expire this year. In a statement submitted for the record, AHA highlighted how the low-volume adjustment, Medicare-dependent Hospital Program and ambulance add-on payments are crucial to ensuring access to care for patients in rural areas. In addition, the association emphasized the need to minimize the burden on post-acute care providers as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services standardizes quality reporting programs under the IMPACT Act, and voiced concerns with a recent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommendation that Congress accelerate the timeline for a common PAC prospective payment system by more than four years. AHA also urged a number of improvements to the PAC Value-Based Purchasing Act of 2015 should the committee reconsider similar legislation this year, and said CMS should permanently rescind its 25% Rule for long-term care hospitals.