Health leaders share priorities for next administration, Congress

To continue to transform the health care delivery system and improve quality and affordability of care for patients, hospitals need the next administration and Congress to prioritize modernizing outdated and burdensome laws and regulations, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack told attendees at a forum today sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He cited a number of laws, including the “Stark,” antikickback, and portions of the civil monetary penalty laws, as inhibiting progress toward more coordinated care for patients. These laws were all “created in an era of fee-for-service, where the whole notion of clinical players working together was very different…and need to be calibrated really for this century,” Pollack noted. He also cited hospitals’ need for relief from duplicative and burdensome audits. “There’s no question responsible regulation and accountability is important but this overlay of uncoordinated people constantly coming in and asking for the same information is taking up a lot of human resources…that can be better devoted to patient care,” Pollack said. The call for regulatory relief was echoed by fellow panelists Marilyn Tavenner, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, and Steve Ubl, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America. The panel was part of a day-long examination of the Affordable Care Act and health reform moving forward under the next presidential administration.