House Delegation Fights for Oregon's Hospitals

You are here:

March 20, 2010

For More Information Contact:
Andy Van Pelt
503-479-6018

House Delegation Fights for Oregon's Hospitals

On behalf of Oregon’s 58 community hospitals, thank you for your commitment to forging a solution to Medicare payment inequity. Over the past year, Oregon’s delegation has demonstrated laudable perseverance in ensuring improved access to health services for all Oregonians. We are deeply grateful to the delegation and the current administration for working with Oregon hospitals on this issue, which is tantamount to reducing the cost shift to commercial insurance and ensuring access to providers.

We applaud Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ pledge to address geographic payment inequity, and share her vision to develop and implement policies that advance health care quality and value and reduce unnecessary utilization. Oregon is one of the nation’s most careful stewards of health care resources, ranking first in the nation for shortest length of stay for Medicare patients. Yet our state is penalized for such efficiency with the fourth lowest Medicare payments in the country.

We are grateful to the secretary for her pledge to implement the Institute of Medicine (IOM) studies as outlined in the House health care reform bill, American’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200). These studies will provide the information needed to understand the scope of geographic variation in the country. In 2009, Oregon’s Healthcare Leadership Taskforce sponsored a study that demonstrated a $1.7 billion Medicare and Medicaid underpayment for Oregon’s physicians and hospitals. The results of these two IOM studies will create a foundation for forging a long-term solution to this problem.

We sincerely hope that Oregon will have the opportunity to participate in the demonstration project outlined by the secretary in which she has agreed to commission the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to “test innovative models taking into consideration the recommendations of the institute of Medicine.”

Thank you again for your steadfast commitment to righting geographic payment inequities. This is a positive first step, and one that will create a clear line of sight to an equitable solution. We stand ready to assist in any way we can.

- Andy Davidson
President/CEO

4000 Kruse Way Place
Building 2, Suite 100
Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035
503-636-2204 | Fax: 503-636-8310
info@oahhs.org

Create an Account | Subscribe | Privacy |

Tell A Friend

Printer Friendly