The American Hospital Association is running a paid advertorial in the opinion section of today's Wall Street Journal that urges the government to be a better business partner.
The advertorial, "An Unpredictable Partner," says "a lethal mix of outdated laws, burdensome and ill-conceived regulations and a Congress that repeatedly raids already inadequate federal funding for hospital care to pay for other programs" is impeding hospitals' commitment to keep their doors open around the clock and care for all people whenever they need it.
The advertorial mentions a few ways hospitals have progressed healthcare reform's goals, such as the downward trend in preventable infections and partnerships with community health organizations to eliminate healthcare disparities. "To continue and to accelerate this progress, hospitals must have the ability to predict with some degree of accuracy reimbursement rates for the services they provide," the advertorial states.
The message goes on to say hospitals must know whether federal pressure for clinical integration will be matched with "removal of outdated regulatory and antitrust barriers to such integration" and they must ask Congress to "break the habit" of cutting Medicare funding for hospital services to pay for non-healthcare programs.
The advertorial also mentions the "well-intended but seriously flawed" efforts of programs like the recovery audit contractor system, which the AHA says "costs hospitals millions of dollars in staff time" and diverts resources from patient care. It says hospitals must look to regulators to fix these efforts.
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