SVRHC Advocacy

Sierra Vista Regional Health Center

2012 Advocacy Agenda

 

ACTIVELY ADVOCATE

• Support AHA Federal Initiatives
• Access and Coverage – increased coverage and access to essential services
• Inpatient Prospective Payment System (PPS)
• Outpatient PPS - hospitals require new strategies for the effective management of outpatient information, resources and services
• Liability Reform – to help make health care more affordable and efficient, the current medical liability system must be reformed
• Medicaid support

 

• Support AHA’s Health Care Reform Moving Forward initiative
• Understand Reform
• Communicate Reform
• Get Involved

 

• Promote Reauthorization of Section 1011 Emergency Treatment Funds
• Work with state lawmakers to pass a memorial urging Congress to reauthorize Section 1011 of the Medicare Modernization Act
• Work with Congressional and Senate representatives to support efforts to reauthorize Section 1011 Funds in Congress

 

• Oppose Further AHCCCS Hospital Payment Cuts that Drive up Arizona’s Hidden Healthcare Tax
• Ensure that Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) hospital payment rates reflect the cost of providing healthcare services to AHCCCS patients 
• Strongly oppose additional AHCCCS rate cuts and implementation of limits on inpatient benefit

• Protect AHCCCS Eligibility and Supplemental Funding
• Strongly Oppose additional efforts to reduce AHCCCS and KidsCare eligibility and supplemental hospital funding, including cuts to:
• Behavioral health services
• Critical Access Hospitals
• Stable, Accessible, Viable and Efficient rural hospitals,
• Disproportionate Share Hospital payments, and
• Graduate Medical Education

• Support Special Healthcare Assessment
• Support a temporary healthcare assessment to restore funding for AHCCCS eligibility under Prop. 204, KidsCare, and/or the Medical Expense Deduction program; and/or backfill cuts to hospital payments; or otherwise fund hospital uncompensated care that has resulted from AHCCCS budget cuts.
• Oppose any assessment that is used to fund the general operations of state government.

• Reform Arizona’s Medical Liability System
• Support multiple efforts to reform Arizona’s medical liability system, including legislative and judicial efforts to reduce the number of lawsuits filed and the expense of resolving them.
•  Oppose any changes to the tort system that will negatively impact hospitals.

• Oppose Unfunded Mandates
• Oppose regulatory and legislative mandates that increase the cost of hospital care, including requirements that hospital workers enforce immigration laws.

 

• OPENLY SUPPORT

• Oppose Mandatory Nurse Staffing Ratios
• Oppose legislation establishing mandatory nurse staffing ratios.
• Support continuation of Arizona Department of Health Services regulations requiring acuity-based staffing to ensure hospital patients receive the safest and most appropriate care

• Engage State Policymakers on Implementation of Healthcare Reform
• Collaborate with state agencies and other stakeholders on state efforts to implement provisions of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, including the health insurance exchange and Medicaid delivery system and payment reforms

• Ensure Adequate Workers’ Compensation Medical Payment
• Work with legislators and the business community to ensure any reforms to Arizona’s workers’ compensation medical payment system are appropriate.
• Oppose establishment of a hospital fee schedule or other system that would under pay hospitals for care to injured workers that will only increase the hidden healthcare tax on privately insured individuals and businesses