To: CEOs/Administrators and Government Affairs Staff
Now is a great time to set up meetings with members of Congress or their staffs to discuss issues impacting health care, as they have returned to the state for August recess. We know several of you already have meetings coming up. For those of you who haven’t scheduled a visit yet, it’s not too late.
Talking Points. Click here to download talking points outlining the key Congressional issues for fall 2015. Major issues for hospital/health systems and Congress include:
- Mounting budget pressures that may impact Medicare payments
- Maintaining the 340B program
- Parameters for recovery audit contractors
- Providing a strong work force
- Expanding telemedicine
- Clarification for readmissions
- 96-Hour rule fix (critical access hospitals – CAHs)
- Physician supervision fix (CAHs)
- Rural Accountable Care Organization (ACO) attribution
- Long-term viability of CAHs
Scheduling and Visits. Please get in touch with Chelene Whiteaker, Policy Director, at chelenew@wsha.org or 
206-216-2545, if you need help scheduling a meeting with your member(s) of Congress. Also consider inviting other hospitals in your area to the meeting.
Follow Up. Lastly, please let Chelene know how your visit went with the Congressional member(s) and if there are any follow up items for WSHA moving forward.
