January 15, 2015 |

Reintroduced bill ties 3-day stay waiver to Nursing Home Compare program

The three-day inpatient hospital stay requirement for Medicare coverage of Part A skilled nursing care benefits would be eliminated for some providers under a bill reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Jim Renacci (R-OH). The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has expressed support for Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior (CARES) Act of 2015 (H.R. 290).

Renacci, the founder of a company that owned, operated and managed nursing facilities, previously introduced the bill in November as H.R. 3531. Under its terms, skilled nursing providers meeting certain criteria based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nursing Home Compare program automatically would qualify to waive the prior hospitalization requirement.

“The reintroduction of this bill serves as a reminder that this problem is not going away,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL, calling Renacci “a champion for seniors and those individuals who need our services.”

Addressing the three-day inpatient hospital stay requirement is a priority for legislators and aging services providers, Clifton J. Porter II, AHCA’s senior vice president of government affairs, said in a statement. AHCA hopes that Congress will pass the legislation this year, he added. “This bill will give millions of seniors and individuals who need skilled nursing services access to the quality care they deserve without the shock of unexpected medical costs.”

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