Rural issues
Requiring critical access hospitals that are less than 15 miles from another hospital to revert to the hospital prospective payment system would generate modest savings for Medicare but likely be disruptive to the communities that depend on these hospitals for their health care, according to a…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should seek legislation to reduce swing-bed reimbursement rates for critical access hospitals from 101% of reasonable costs to the daily rates paid under the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system, the Department of Health and Human…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday issued guidance for critical access hospitals and rural health centers with respect to the Physician Quality Reporting System 2013 reporting year and 2015 payment adjustment. Physicians and other eligible professionals must report certain…
The AHA Friday applauded the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s proposal to shorten the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems patient experience survey and agreed that the changes would reduce patient and provider burden.
Essentia Health, an integrated health care delivery system based in Duluth, Minn., provides telehealth services to patients at 26 of its roughly 80 rural health clinics, small rural hospitals and long-term care facilities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Its goal is to provide…
Rep. Don Young (R-AK) yesterday introduced the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Extension Act of 2015 (H.R. 672), which extends for five years the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program (RCH).
Urge your legislators to cosponsor S. 332/H.R.663
Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Jon Tester (D-MT) today introduced a Senate companion to the Critical Access Hospital Relief Act (S. 258/H.R. 169), AHA-supported legislation that would remove the 96-hour physician certification requirement as a condition of payment for critical access hospitals.