NAPH Participates in White House Meeting on Hospital Readmissions Policy - January 12, 2010

On January 7, NAPH Executive Director Chris Burch and Senior Vice President Lynne Fagnani, as well as representatives of the American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals, and Catholic Health Association attended a White House meeting to discuss the readmissions policies contained in both the House and Senate health reform bills. Attending the meeting on behalf of the Administration were Mike Hash of the White House Office of Health Reform; Zeke Emanuel and Keith Fontenot of the White House Office of Management and Budget; Jonathan Blum, Director of the CMS Center for Medicare Management; Amy Hall, Director of the CMS Office of Legislation; and Bob Kocher, M.D. of the National Economic Council. The hospital groups discussed the types of diagnoses (such as metastatic cancer and substance abuse) that typically result in readmissions regardless of the quality of care provided, and the groups recommended that such diagnoses be excluded from any readmissions policy. NAPH, in particular, urged the Administration to consider the socioeconomic conditions—including inadequate housing and lack of a primary care physician—that might result in readmission for certain patients. The Administration staff seemed receptive to these issues, which NAPH will continue to work on with key congressional staff.