With this week’s attention on the congressional super committee's failure to deliver a $1.2 trillion deficit reduction plan, the focus in Washington is on what to do next. At the same time, the priority among long term care providers remains on quality, says Neil Pruitt Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of UHS-Pruitt Corp. and chairman of the American Health Care Association (AHCA).
In an interview with Provider, Pruitt says even with the recent barrage of reimbursement reductions at the federal and state levels, the priority of AHCA and its members is moving the quality agenda forward despite the gloomy Medicare and Medicaid funding outlook.
“I am so proud we’ve not sat back and instead are focused on our quality agenda,” Pruitt says, noting a recent organization board of governors meeting has set the stage for a number of quality initiatives. Some of the efforts include generating more data on health outcomes and rationalizing the payment system by pushing for site-neutral legislation being discussed in Congress.
He also noted that AHCA/National Center for Assisted Living will host its fourth annual Quality Symposium: Inspiring Excellence in Long Term Care on Feb. 23-24 in Houston (www.ahcancal.org/events/qualitysymposium/Pages/default.aspx) to accelerate its agenda.
The situation in Congress is of course of great concern for AHCA and its members, but that concern is also linked with providing quality post-acute care. Pruitt says his biggest fear is that the Oct. 1 Medicare rimbursement reductions, state Medicaid reductions, and possibly more reductions pending what happens in Washington will result in harmful cutbacks in staffing and programs.
“My fear is that quality advances will be impacted,” Pruitt says. He stresses that lawmakers need to understand the dual nature of the hit providers are taking with both Medicare and Medicaid reducing reimbursement at a time nursing facilities are doing well in providing quality care.
The most recent AHCA quality report showed long term care providers improving in nearly all measurements, but the squeeze from reduced funding streams is having consequences.
“No doubt these actions are very painful on our profession. I’m also alarmed that so much progress was being made on improving the physical plant in our industry as well. We’ve had a massive refurbishment campaign underway that has ground to a halt as we speak,” Pruitt says, noting many long term care buildings were constructed decades ago and are in need of updating.
AHCA has taken the case for the industry to policymakers and the general public with its Care Not Cuts media advocacy effort linking the needs of the nation’s frail and elderly to adequate reimbursement levels. Unlike previous association campaigns, this one offers long term care as a solution to the push for low cost, high-quality care, Pruitt says.
“We want to be part of the solution and not just being against something,” he notes.
Tags: Medicare, Medicaid, super committee