More than 40 long-term care hospital leaders on June 23 urged Congress to oppose Medicare cuts to hospitals to pay for health care reform, and to support the Medicare Long-term Care Hospital Improvement Act. The American Hospital Association-backed bill (H.R. 2124/S. 935) would extend for two years the congressional hold on payment cuts for certain short-stay cases and full implementation of the 25% Rule, which imposes a payment reduction for LTCH referrals that exceed 25% from a single source.
Speaking at the AHA Advocacy Day, Ellen Smith, president and CEO of Houston-based Dubois Health System, which operates 16 LTCHs, said the legislation would provide more time to develop “very clear guidelines to make sure that we have the right patients in the right setting.” Without congressional action, the moratorium on the so-called 25% Rule will expire Dec. 29, 2010.