Maryland hospital executives have made their request to the state regarding an updated Medicare waiver and are now waiting to see how it all shakes out.
The hospital executives input group was tasked by the state with organizing hospitals’ concerns about the state’s proposed new waiver plan and compiling a list of key items medical centers want to see addressed in the plan. Making sure hospitals’ financial condition is part of the equation is at the top of the group’s list. Many hospitals here have struggled to stay in the black and executives want to be sure any new waiver plan will not further damage their financial condition.
The group presented to Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein its key priorities and is expecting to hear back from the state about an updated Medicare waiver plan draft within a few weeks, said one of the committee’s chairs, Mercy Medical Center CEO Tom Mullen.
“We’re in a holding pattern until we get their feedback,” Mullen said.
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The state is negotiating with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a new Medicare waiver, a key health policy in Maryland that allows the state to set its own hospital rates. Earlier this year, hospitals balked at the state’s initial draft plan, saying it was too risky and lacked detail about how hospitals would go about making the drastic changes called for in the plan. The draft plan focused on controlling hospital spending by tying hospital growth to state economic growth and emphasized managing the health of the entire community.
The hospital executives group held three meetings in May and June to discuss their concerns with the plan and to narrow down the top issues hospital administrators want the state to address.
Date: Sep 9, 2013