News Releases

The Center Urges Congressional Delegation to Support H.R. 2552

The Center for Health Affairs this month asked members of Congress representing Northeast Ohio to support legislation intended to restore funding to certain off-campus hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). H.R. 2552, the Protecting Local Access to Care for Everyone Act, is intended to ensure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services complies with congressional intent to exempt certain HOPDs from reimbursement cuts.

In the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, Congress called for reductions in Medicare reimbursement for certain off-campus hospital departments by eliminating their eligibility for payment under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS). However, Congress made a clear distinction between existing HOPDs already billing for services and new HOPDs that would ultimately seek reimbursement following enactment of that bill. In the 21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016, Congress made it clear that any facility in the process of being built prior to the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 would not be subject to the reimbursement rate cuts applied to newly built HOPDs. Yet, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the calendar year 2019 OPPS rules, it cut payments for hospital clinic services in these grandfathered, or excepted, off-campus departments.

H.R. 2552, introduced in May by Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), would restore the policy Congress intended and ensure hospitals can continue to treat patients in the outpatient setting in their home communities. The Center is urging the Northeast Ohio congressional delegation, which includes Reps. Marcia Fudge, Bob Gibbs, Anthony Gonzalez, Jim Jordan, Dave Joyce, Marcy Kaptur and Tim Ryan, to sign on in support of that bill. Hospitals are encouraged to send letters to their individual representatives also urging support for the bill.

MORE: For more information about H.R. 2552, please contact us.

TWEETABLE: Members of Congress from #NEOhio urged by @neohospitals to support H.R. 2552, which reaffirms Congress’ intent to protect certain hospital outpatient services from reimbursement cuts.