Press Release

Statement on Final CY 2017 OPPS Rule

Tom Nickels

Executive Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy

American Hospital Association

CMS’s final rule appropriately recognizes that providing no payment to new off-campus hospital clinics for the services they provide to patients was an untenable policy. We will evaluate the new payment level to ensure that it is fair and reasonable, and whether the agency will be able to implement it in an efficient manner for 2017. We appreciate the modifications CMS made to its proposal to allow existing hospital clinics to expand their services to meet the changing needs of their patients and communities without being penalized.

However, we are alarmed that CMS continues to ignore the need for hospitals to modernize existing facilities so that they can provide the most up-to-date, high-quality services to their patients. We continue to be concerned that such “site-neutral” policies and CMS’s implementation of them could impede patients’ access to care, especially in the most vulnerable communities. We are evaluating the details of the final rule and will provide further comment to CMS.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.