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

Chairperson's File
Public
The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act will bring big changes to health care. AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack joined me for a Leadership Dialogue…
Headline
The House Ways and Means Subcommittees on Health and Oversight held a joint hearing today to discuss lessons learned, challenges and opportunities to improve…
Headline
The AHA today expressed support for the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act, a bill that would eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient…
Headline
The AHA July 8 wrote in opposition to the “Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act” (H.R. 4002), which would repeal current law banning the creation…
Headline
The AHA July 3 released the Health Care Plan Accountability Update for the second quarter of 2025. The update covers the latest developments in Medicare…
Headline
The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services today announced the creation of the DOJ-HHS False Claims Act Working Group to combat health care fraud…