Hospitals push for legislative priorities to improve patient and community health; urging senators and representatives during August recess to address critical funding and access challenges

It’s an understatement to say everything on the national political scene is both unprecedented and unpredictable these days.

To state the obvious, there will be an election in about 100 days. And regardless of the outcome, it will be followed by a lame-duck session of Congress where there will be several must-do items — including funding the government — which becomes the legislative platform for a variety of issues, including critical ones impacting hospitals that need to be addressed before the end of the year.

That’s why it’s so important to use this August recess that begins next week as an opportunity to engage senators and representatives while they are back home. More than ever, it is critical for federal lawmakers to understand the challenges hospitals and health systems face . . . and what’s at stake for access to care for the patients and communities they represent.

Moreover, it is a terrific chance for our field to ensure lawmakers gain firsthand appreciation for all of the innovative and community-supportive things you are doing to improve access, enhance the patient care experience and continue to deliver a level of care that is top-notch.

After all, our patients, their families and our team members are all their constituents. And as a practical matter, politicians listen most closely during an election year. They need to know that we care, and we vote.

Some of the “must do” messages we need to deliver now include:

We need to continue extending key rural programs that expire at the end of year like the Medicare dependent hospital program and the low-volume adjustment.

We need to extend telehealth and hospital-at-home programs as these innovative efforts, which were adopted to help us manage the COVID-19 pandemic, have expanded access for millions of Americans and allowed patients to receive high-quality care more conveniently.

We need to make sure that payment cuts for hospital services — like those so-called site-neutral adjustments — that appropriately provide a differential for hospital outpatient services are not used as an offset or to fund other programs.

We need to continue to prevent Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts from kicking in next year that threaten essential financial assistance to hospitals that care for our nation’s most vulnerable populations — children, impoverished, disabled and elderly individuals.

At the same time, the proposed Medicare payment reductions for physician services will need to be addressed.

Of course, should the congressional “scope of work” widen beyond issues that are calendar driven, there are many other issues where we want to enlist lawmakers’ support and lay the groundwork for action next year. Among those that we have worked to gain the most attention right now are passage of the bipartisan Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act (SAVE) Act, which would provide federal protections from workplace violence for hospital workers; holding commercial insurance companies accountable for practices that delay, deny and disrupt care; and working to bolster support for cybersecurity efforts.

Next week, you’ll receive an Action Alert highlighting tools and resources to assist in your advocacy and you can visit our Action Center webpage for the latest information.

We may be living in unpredictable times, but one thing that is predictable — and will never change — is that hospitals will always be a source of hope and healing.

We will always be focused on promoting wellness as well as caring for the sick and injured. And we will always be cornerstones of the communities we serve as we work together to advance health in America.