WHA Submits Comments on Improving Medicare
On August 24, the Wisconsin Hospital Association submitted comments to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways & Means Committee in response to their request for provider feedback on ways to reduce Medicare’s regulatory and statutory burden. WHA’s submission highlighted varying Medicare issues impacting Wisconsin’s hospitals and health systems (rural to urban) as well as issues spanning the health care delivery continuum. Those suggestions for improvements include:
- Addressing Hospital Outpatient Departments/Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015
- Aligning and Improving Quality Reporting and Penalty Programs
- Removing Geographic Restrictions on Access to Telehealth Services for Medicare Beneficiaries
- Extending a Moratorium on the “Direct Supervision” regulation
- Conforming Conflicting “96 Hour” Statutes for Critical Access Hospitals
- Easing the EHR Incentive Program
- Creating Consistency in Federal Hospital Regulations Regarding Use of Advance Practice Nurse Prescribers and Other Advance Practice Clinicians in Hospital Setting
- Addressing the “3-Day Stay” Requirement for Admission to a Nursing Home After a Hospital Stay
- Revising Requirements for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) to Become Training Sites for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)
“The Wisconsin Hospital Association’s submission highlights statutes and regulations across the health care delivery continuum that we believe are actionable and would be an excellent start to reducing Medicare’s burden on our hospitals and health systems,” said WHA President/CEO Eric Borgerding. “As Congress and the Administration move into the fall floor period, we ask them to move forward on these important improvements.”
Read WHA's Comments.
This story originally appeared in the August 25, 2017 edition of WHA Newsletter