Health Care Update: Senate Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act Diminishes Regulatory Relief for LTACHs

Posted by Jason Greis on November 19, 2009 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled the long-awaited Senate health care bill, titled the “Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act,” yesterday evening.  In a news conference held to announce the bill, Sen. Reid said that the bill embodied the Precquisident’s health care goals, calling it a “tremendous step forward.”  The bill would cost $848 billion and would reduce budget deficits by $130 billion over ten years, according to the recently released Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score. Read More...

Health Care Legislation Update: The Impact on Post-Acute Care Providers and Physician-Owned Hospitals

Posted by Jason Greis on July 16, 2009 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

President Obama’s looming deadline to hold Congressional pre-conferences and floor votes on comprehensive healthcare reform legislation before Congress’s August recess has prompted a flurry of legislative activity this week.  On Tuesday, July 14, 2009, the House released the Tri-Committee health care reform bill, officially titled H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (the “Tri-Committee Bill”), and with its party-line vote on Wednesday, July 15, 2009, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (“HELP”) Committee became the first congressional committee to approve a health care reform bill (a copy of which is attached by clicking here).  The Senate Finance Committee’s health reform bill may be released as early as next week. Read More...

Exploring the Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of Acute-Care and Post-Acute Care Payment Bundling

Posted by Jason Greis on April 3, 2009 under Articles, Whitepapers | Be the First to Comment

The current Congressional fervor to overhaul the U.S. health care system has some policy makers discussing how to change the way post-acute providers, including LTACHs, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient-based hospital rehabilitation facilities are compensated for treating Medicare beneficiaries.  One solution proposed by President Barack Obama, the Congressional Budget Office, and certain congressional leaders is to bundle payments for acute care and post-acute care services provided within the first thirty days after being discharged from an acute care hospital.  This bundling model has been proposed many times since the early 1980s as a measure to control escalating post-acute care costs, decrease the number of preventable acute-care hospital readmissions, and increase Medicare cost savings but has never received broad support-until now. Read More...