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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a request for information (RFI) on hospital and vendor readiness to report certain clinical quality measures under the hospital inpatient quality reporting program using certified electronic health record (EHR) technology required by the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. In the RFI, CMS asks hospitals to answer a number of questions, including if they plan to adopt EHR certified technology during or before calendar year (CY) 2014; if they are aware of payment adjustments beginning in fiscal year 2015 for failing to demonstrate meaningful use requirements under the EHR Incentive Program; what operational challenges exist to electronically report data, and what tools and methodologies they and their vendors use to validate data. For the full list of CMS questions, see attached RFI. CHA is interested in hearing from hospitals about their experiences implementing clinical quality measures using certified EHRs to inform our response to CMS. Comments can be submitted electronically to CMS at www.regulations.gov and are due Jan. 22 by 2 p.m. (PT).
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CHA has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to a request for information on health plan quality management in health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. In its comment letter, CHA notes California hospitals’ extensive experience in quality reporting programs at both the state and federal level. CHA also offers HHS several guiding principles to consider as the agency begins the rulemaking process to measure quality in the exchanges.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a request for information (RFI), seeking comments on health plan quality management in insurance exchanges. The Affordable Care Act requires qualified health plans (QHPs) that participate in insurance exchanges to implement quality improvement strategies, enhance patient safety through specific contracting requirements and publicly report quality data. CMS seeks comments on the current landscape of quality improvement strategies and how applicable these strategies are to the health insurance exchange marketplace. The RFI also provides the opportunity for stakeholders to recommend the most effective ways to enhance and align quality reporting and display requirements for QHPs beginning in 2016. Comments on the RFI are due Dec. 27 and can be submitted at www.regulations.gov. For more information, see attached RFI.
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The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies held a mark-up of its fiscal year 2013 appropriations bill today, reducing the HHS discretionary budget by $1.3 billion below current levels. If signed into law, the bill would restrict use of any HHS funds to implement the Affordable Care Act and would rescind funds authorized for the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) Program, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, Prevention and Public Health Fund and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund. The legislation also would eliminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality effective Oct. 1, 2012. Members of the California congressional delegation on the subcommittee voted along party lines, with Rep. Jerry Lewis (R) joining the majority to pass the bill, and Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D) and Barbara Lee (D) opposing the bill. While the legislation will likely pass the full appropriations committee, it will not pass the Senate. CHA expects a final budget to be resolved in a conference committee.
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The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is seeking comments, recommendations and other suggestions on how to revise the Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol. The OIG plans to revise the protocol to conform to current industry requirements, and to provide useful guidance to the health care industry. The OIG will use lessons learned from processing more than 800 disclosures and recovering more than $280 million over the past 14 years. The comment period closes Aug. 17. Attached is the Federal Register notice.
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The California Hospital Association (CHA) is pleased by today’s Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA). California’s hospitals have long supported the goal of expanding coverage to the uninsured. Today’s ruling means that California will continue to make progress towards this goal.
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CHA has joined with California’s safety-net hospitals on the Disproportionate-Share Hospital (DSH) Task Force to send a letter to members of the California congressional delegation urging them to protect the Medicaid program from any additional cuts to hospital payments. As the House searches for spending reductions to offset the elimination of cuts to defense spending, proposals have emerged to reduce states’ ability to use Medicaid provider taxes and DSH payments. These programs provide critical means for hospitals to bolster their ability to preserve health care services for the state’s most needy patients. CHA will continue to advocate against further cuts to hospitals as the House continues its budget reconciliation process. The DSH Task Force letter is attached.
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The California Health Benefit Exchange (CHBE) Board has reviewed the attached report, prepared by Milliman, which analyzes and compares health services covered by the 10 Essential Health Benefits (EHB) benchmark plans for the state. The analysis includes comprehensive tables that summarize the coverage status of potential benchmark plans, as well as differences between the plans.
Below is a list of archived federal regulations with links to CHA’s corresponding actions, including summaries, comment letters, and DataSuite.
2020
Effective January 1, 2020
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CHA has submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the agency’s Request for Information regarding State Flexibility to Establish a Basic Health Program Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
