The AHA recommends that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) require greater transparency in how states set MCO capitation rates.
Letters
Throughout the year, the AHA comments on a vast number of proposed and interim final rules put forth by the federal regulatory agencies. In addition, AHA communicates with federal legislators to convey the hospital field's position on potential legislative changes that would impact patients and patient care. Below are the most recent letters from the AHA to these bodies.
Latest
Fundamental reform of the RAC process is at the heart of an effective and permanent solution to the appeal backlog problem and will enable hospitals to get timely administrative review that clearly is required by the Medicare statute.
We are truly dismayed to see that despite the numerous legal defects that we identified in these audits, the OIG has proceeded to issue at least four new audit reports using extrapolation in the last month that include many of the same flaws.
The American Hospital Association appreciates your introduction of S. 2942, legislation to establish a hospital fund to stand-up regional treatment centers for patients with Ebola or other specified infectious diseases.
We greatly appreciate that the Senate Rural Health Caucus and its members continually recognize the unique circumstances and challenges that small and rural hospitals face.
We are writing to request that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdraw the proposed draft guidance, “Framework for Regulatory Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests” and associated guidance. The draft guidance documents conflict with existing regulations and would impose substantial new requirements on clinical laboratories, hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers without complying with notice and comment rulemaking as required under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA).
I want to bring to your attention efforts by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to unjustifiably limit how hospitals can demonstrate they qualify for tax-exempt status, and recommend that Congress take action to reverse this decision and enact legislation that would hold the IRS accountable by instituting a transparent and participatory regulatory process.
The AHA is supportive of testing innovations in care delivery for Medicare’s chronically ill population as well as testing innovations in Medicare Advantage that leverage these capabilities to bring better health and better care coordination to Medicare Advantage enrollees.
The CMS FY2015 Budget Justification included language simply stating that CMS must coordinate with the HRSA Office of Rural Health Policy and receive recommendation from the White House Rural Council. Despite this assertion, several policies remain problematic for rural providers and facilities, including the outpatient therapy supervision requirement and the 96 hour rule.
As the organizations representing more than 5,000 hospitals and health systems across the country, we respectfully urge you to delay the effective date of October 9, 2014 for provisions in the final rule on Disposal of Controlled Substances that would adversely affect hospitals.