As the House Energy and Commerce Committee prepares to consider a legislative provision (H.R. 3561) that would reduce payments for drug administration services furnished in off-campus provider-based departments, the AHA and other national hospital groups reiterated to committee leaders their opposition to the proposal and to site-neutral policies in general, which fail to account for the fundamental differences between hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and other ambulatory care sites. 

“It is important to note that HOPDs treat patients who are sicker and have more chronic conditions than those treated in physician offices or ambulatory surgical centers, as they are better equipped to handle complications and emergencies,” the letter notes. The committee is scheduled to consider H.R. 3561 tomorrow.

AHA also released a fact sheet highlighting three site-neutral proposals being considered by the committee and their estimated impact on Medicare reimbursement to hospitals and health systems; the estimates should not be combined because the legislative proposals contain some overlap. 

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA submitted a statement Sept. 17 for a House Ways and Means Committee markup session on a series of health care and other bills. Specifically, the AHA…
Headline
The AHA Sept. 15 expressed support for the Ensuring Access to Essential Providers Act, legislation that would require Medicare Advantage plans to cover…
Headline
The AHA Sept. 15 urged Aetna to rescind its recently announced “level of severity inpatient payment” policy, saying that it “could erode the transparency…
Perspective
Public
Every health care provider strives to deliver their patients the best possible care, but not all providers offer the same level or complexity of care. Current…
Headline
A JAMA internal medicine study published Sept. 8 found that since the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have been experiencing longer…
Headline
A Health Affairs study published Sept. 2 found that less than 40% of Medicare beneficiaries with opioid use disorder received standard care in alignment with…