On July 30-31, join NRHA in Washington, D.C. to protect funding for rural hospitals across the country.
If Congress does not act by Oct. 1, funding for Medicare Dependent Hospitals (MDHs) will expire. MDHs are small rural facilities that serve a high percentage of Medicare patients. Expiration will mean over 200 MDHs will lose millions of dollars, causing many facilities to reduce services, or worse, close doors, resulting in a devastating impact on rural seniors across the nation.
Additionally, hundreds more rural facilities will also be severely harmed due to the Oct. 1 expiration of the rural “low-volume” adjustment, a Medicare payment for rural facilities who incur higher incremental costs due to a low-volume of Medicare patients. The loss of such funding will also hurt rural patients, forcing rural hospitals to limit critical services or close facilities.
Keep rural hospitals doors open. Join NRHA in its march on Capitol Hill to tell Members of Congress to protect these rural hospitals and the rural seniors that they serve. Visit our Protect Rural Hospital Action Kit and register here for this free event.
The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) released a study today outlining the positive accomplishments of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) Pilot Program. A FESC facility is a “is a geographically isolated medical clinic designed to provide primary, emergency, and extended-stay care 24 hours per day when hospital services are not readily available.” Pilot sights existed in isolated areas of Alaska and Washington.
RUPRI found that FESC sights reduced costs by providing local care and decreasing costly transfers to other facilities. Quality and timeliness of patient care was also improved in the communities where FESC facilities were located. To view the entire report, click here. A summary is available here. The FESC program was authorized in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 and is administered through grant support by the Office of Rural Health Policy.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized plans today aimed at reducing ” unnecessary, obsolete, or burdensome regulations”. Among the goals of the the new rules are modifications CMS hopes to “let CAHs partner with other providers so they can be more efficient and ensure the safe and timely delivery of care to their patients.” Specifically, CAHs will now be allowed to use “contract services” or those services provided by contracted health care providers not directly employed by the CAH. This will allow CAH administrators increased flexibility to meet the needs of their individual facilities.
NRHA submitted comments to CMS during the proposed comment period advocating for these changes. The comment letter is available here. A copy of the CMS press announcement is available here. NRHA applauds CMS for its efforts to reduce the regulatory and administrative burdens placed on rural hospitals and for their responsiveness to NRHA’s comments and concerns.
Today, Senator Charles Schumer announced legislation that will extend the Medicare-Dependent Hospital Program and the Low-Volume Hospital Program, which are critical to rural hospitals. This legislation introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley and Senator Schumer will extend these two programs that are set to expire on Sept. 30, 2012 for another year.
“Rural hospitals are the lifeblood of rural economies throughout upstate New York, and they deserve our support. Efficiently supporting our rural hospitals and their patients allows medical facilities in the North Country to continue providing high quality health services, and is pivotal for our community and our economy,” said Senator Schumer in a press release. “The continued existence of these Medicare programs is critical to the financial stability of hospitals in the North Country, and will help enhance quality of life in our rural communities. We cannot let these programs end, and I will fight tooth and nail to provide New York’s rural hospitals with the support they deserve.”
NRHA applauds Senators Schumer and Grassley for their leadership on this legislation.
Click here to see the entire press release from Sen. Schumer on Senate Bill 2620.
On Monday, May 7 Senators Charles Schumer and Chuck Grassley introduced a bill that would extend the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) programs. Senate Bill 2620 would help avoid the pending expiration of both programs. NRHA applauds Senator Schumer and Senator Grassley for their leadership in this important area and call on legislators in both chambers of Congress to act to protect rural hospitals.
Important new data indicates that the Federal investment in rural health has significant benefits both for the rural patient and the tax payer. In fact, small rural hospitals nationally have equal or better quality outcomes, and cost 3.7% less per Medicare beneficiary than their urban counterparts. These vital rural hospital programs are examples of the benefits of targeted, effective government action but will expire on October 1 if action is not taken. Their continuation is critical to patients and providers.
Join NRHA’s fight to protect Medicare Dependent Hospitals and Low-Volume Hospitals. Learn more about NRHA’s campaign and a new study on the cost-effectiveness of rural health providers by clicking here.
Various media outlets are reporting that the CMS Center for Innovation (CMMI) will announce grant recipients for the “Health Care Innovation Challenge” on a conference call tomorrow. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and CMMI director Rick Gilfillan will chair the call. In November, CMMI announced that “up to $1 billion dollars will be awarded to innovative projects across the country that test creative ways to deliver high quality medical care and save money”. Many health care providers and professional associations believed the grant announcement would come sooner but CMMI had to delay the distribution of awards due to the high number of applications that were submitted.
To read more about the challenge, click here. To learn more about CMMI, click here.
