GreisGuide to LTACHs » baucus

GAO Report Highlights Differences in LTACH Oversight Standards in Response to Senate Finance Committee Investigation

Jason Greis — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 05:27:16 +0000

On December 22, 2010, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report (Report) highlighting key differences in Federal oversight standards among long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) and certain other classes of hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. The Report was prepared in response to the Senate Finance Committee’s initiation of a formal investigation in March 2010 after a February 10, 2010 New York Times article described patient deaths and allegations of substandard patient care at one of the nation’s largest LTACH providers. Read More...

Senate Finance Committee Approves Health Care Reform Bill and Moves toward Reconciliation

Jason Greis — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:17:44 +0000

On October 14, 2009 the Senate Finance Committee became the fifth and final Congressional Committee to approve a health care reform bill. Passing the Committee 14-9, every Democrat plus Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted for the bill. For Chairman Baucus (D-MT), gaining Sen. Snowe’s vote was a big win, but equally important was his ability to hold the Democrats together for this vote. Senators John Rockefeller (D-WV), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) all expressed concerns with the bill during its consideration, and none of them had stated definitively how they would vote on the bill until the final moments. Read More...

To Bundle or Not to Bundle: Lawmakers Explore the Question

Jason Greis — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:52:24 +0000

The current fervor to overhaul the nation's health care delivery system has legislators discussing how to change the way post-acute care providers, including long-term acute care hospitals, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, are reimbursed for treating Medicare beneficiaries. One potential solution endorsed by both President Obama and the Senate Finance Committee entails bundling payments for acute and post-acute care services provided within the first 30 days after a Medicare beneficiary is discharged from an acute care hospital. This proposal is gaining increasing attention in Washington D.C. as both Senators Baucus and Kennedy appear poised to release bills this month to enact substantial healthcare reform. Carefully crafted bundling legislation that takes into consideration the reimbursement needs of post-acute care providers and the potential pitfalls of a bundled payment model could produce a new and tenable model for the provision of post-acute care services.

Senate Finance Committee Health Reform Option Paper Proposals Would Impact Post-Acute Care Providers

Jason Greis — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:42:45 +0000

On April 29, 2009 the Senate Finance Committee (“Committee”) released the first of three health reform option papers exploring proposals for reducing costs and improving quality and efficiency in the country’s health care delivery system. The second option paper addressing potential solutions for reforming health coverage decisions was released on May 14, and the final option paper discussing solutions for financing health care reform is scheduled to be released on May 20. The policy options contained in the first option paper would shift Medicare payments to post-acute care providers from volume‐based to value‐based purchasing by providing new payment incentives for care that contributes to positive patient outcomes. The first option paper contains a number of proposals that, if enacted, would significantly affect Medicare payments to long-term acute care hospitals (“LTACH”). Read More...