House committee holds field hearing on ensuring resilient emergency care

Mar 18, 2024 - 02:37 PM
emergency-room-gurney-team

AHA March 18 shared with the House Ways and Means Committee its proposals to strengthen access to timely emergency medical care, particularly in rural and underserved areas. These include policies that promote flexible payment options, ensure fair and adequate reimbursement, and bolster the workforce.

鈥淗ospitals and health systems are the lifeblood of their communities and committed to ensuring local access to health care,鈥 AHA said in a statement submitted to the committee for its hearing March 18 in Denton, Texas, on ensuring resilient emergency medical care. 鈥淎t the same time, many hospitals, including those in rural and underserved areas, continue to experience unprecedented challenges that jeopardize access and services. These include workforce shortages, high costs of prescription drugs, and continued severe underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid.鈥

In addition to two emergency care patients, witnesses at the included Matt Zavadsky, chief transformation officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare; Ted Matthews, CEO of Anson (Texas) General Hospital; Edward Racht, M.D., chief medical officer for Global Medical Response; and Robert Morris, CEO of Complete Care.

Related News Articles

Headline
Study finds social factors explain poorer cardiovascular health in rural areas聽
A study published March 31 by the National Institutes of Health found that adults living in rural areas have worse cardiovascular health than those in urban鈥
Chairperson's File
Chair File: Leadership Dialogue 鈥 Importance of Advocacy and Storytelling in Rural Health with Lori Wightman, R.N., CEO of Bothwell Regional Health Center
Public
Rural hospitals and health systems face big challenges, but together 鈥 with a unified voice 鈥 we can work to ensure people living in rural communities get the鈥
Headline
AHA podcast: Critical Condition 鈥 Cybersecurity in Rural Hospitals with Microsoft, Part 2
John Riggi, AHA national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, and Justin Spelhaug, corporate vice president and global head of Tech for Social Impact at鈥
Chairperson's File
Chair File: Rural Health 鈥 Caring for Our Neighbors
Public
I鈥檝e often said that rural health care is about family. We take care of each other and our communities as best as possible. Rural hospitals and health systems鈥
Headline
CDC partners with Texas officials for measles outbreak response聽
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention March 4 announced it sent agency experts to Texas to assist local officials in responding to the state鈥檚 measles鈥
Headline
AHA urges MedPAC to avoid payment cuts to rural health clinics
The AHA Feb. 28 voiced support for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's proposal to reduce beneficiary cost-sharing at critical access hospitals while鈥