US putting on a full-court press to secure support for hospitals and patients

As the US Congress convenes, the American Hospital Association are turning up the pressure to secure additional support for hospitals and the patients and communities they serve.

Specifically, they are asking Congress to:

• Prevent any further damaging cuts to health programmes, including stopping the forthcoming 4% Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) sequester.
• Establish a temporary per diem payment targeted to hospitals to address the issue of hospitals not being able to discharge patients to post-acute care or behavioural facilities because of staffing shortages.
• Increase the number of Medicare-funded graduate medical education positions to address the workforce need for additional physicians in the USA.
• Extend or make permanent the Low-volume Adjustment and the Medicare-dependent Hospital programmes — critical rural programmes that are due to expire on 16 December.
• Make permanent the expansion of telehealth services and extend the hospital-at-home programme.
• Finalize Senate passage of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which streamlines prior authorisation requirements under Medicare Advantage plans.
• Create a special statutory designation for certain hospitals that serve marginalised urban communities.

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Source: American Hospital Association, 2 December 2022