Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals (IPPS) and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes (CMS-1849-P) - Responded to various issues and proposals in the proposed rule, advocated for a market basket update that more accurately reflects hospitals' cost of providing care in the IPPS Final Rule for FY 2027. Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs for Medicare Advantage Organizations, Medicaid Managed Care Plans, State Medicaid Agencies, Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Agencies and CHIP Managed Care Entities, and Issuers of Qualified Health Plans on the Federally-Facilitated Exchanges (CMS-0062-P) - Responded to various issues in the proposed rule and recommended several modifications related to prior authorization processes to improve implementation and reduce provider burden Provider payment - Supported changes to Medicare/Medicaid provider payment system and increased hospital reimbursements. Advocated for reimbursement rates that reflect the true cost of care, particularly for hospitals serving vulnerable and rural populations.
Childrens Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program - Urged increased funding in FY 2027 to fund CHGME with the same priority as other federal physician training programs Continued healthcare access - Advocated for a more resilient healthcare infrastructure and policies that provide the staffing and technological infrastructure necessary to maintain essential services Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act (S.1954) Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3514/S.1816) Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Mapping Americas Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act (S.1784/H.R.4191) Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act (S.2279) Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act (S.2556) Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 (S.2439/H.R.3890/H.R.4731) Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Save Healthcare Workers Act (S.1600/H.R.3178). Drug shortages - Supported elements to increase transparency in prescription drug supply chain and increase reimbursement for generic prescription drugs; issues related to compounding; issues related to buffer inventory. Encouraged improved stakeholder communication and increased notification by manufacturers for surges in demand Endorsed and encouraged passage of the Drug Origin Transparency Act of 2026 (HR.8339) Hospital Data and Analytics - Provided education and information on the types of clinical, operational, financial and quality data hospitals collect and monitor to improve patient care. Hospital Group Purchasing - Advocated to highlight the value that hospital group purchasing organizations (GPOs) provide to hospitals and suppliers. Provided education on how GPOs work in the healthcare supply chain and the role they play in delivering value to healthcare providers, as well as key differences between traditional GPOs and PBMs. Supply Assurance - Responded to a Senate Special Committee on Aging inquiry on vulnerabilities in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain highlighting the work done by GPOs to improve supply chain resiliency and encouraging additional healthcare supply chain visibility. Urged passage of legislation to reauthorize The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) Telehealth - Encouraged the adoption of additional permanent telehealth policies to extend certain telemedicine flexibilities beyond their current expiration date. United States Core Data for Interoperability Draft Version 7 - Respond to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Policy (ONC) on issues raised in Standards Bulletin 2026-1 (SB26-1) and offered comments to constructively improve certain data elements of Draft USCDI v7. Offered recommendations for future iterations of USCDI standards. Workforce - Advocated for strengthening the health workforce and preventing workforce shortages through policies that support education, training, recruitment and retention efforts.
Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Medical Supply Chain Resiliency Act (S.998/HR.2213)
Continued monitoring and encouraged passage of the Medical Supply Chain Resiliency Act (S.998/HR.2213) Provided education and information on the impact of continued tariffs on the healthcare supply chain
Not-for-Profit Hospital Tax-exemption - Provided education and information on hospital tax exemption and what is required to justify and maintain tax-exempt status, including particular reporting requirements.