OHA members attend AHA Regional Policy Board and State Chamber Fly-In in D.C.

Posted on: 9/20/19

Last week, Patti Davis, OHA president, and several OHA member hospital administrators attended the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board (RPB) biennial national meeting and congressional visits in Washington, D.C. The group then stayed in D.C. for the Oklahoma State Chamber Fly-In. Members attending the RPB included Jim Berry, executive VP/hospital administrator, Northeastern Health System, Tahlequah; OHA Board Chairman Jay Johnson, president and CEO, Duncan Regional Hospital; Kevin Gross, president & CEO, Hillcrest HealthCare System, Tulsa; In addition to Davis, Johnson, and Gross, Don Baker, division CFO, Hillcrest HealthCare System, Anne Roberts and Brent Davis, INTEGRIS Health, and Jimmy Durant, SSM Health Oklahoma, participated in the Chamber events.

At the RPB meeting, participants heard from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, who stated that to deliver higher quality care at lower costs, we must move from fee-for-service payments to “a system in which we’re paying providers to keep people healthy, reduce costs and deliver better outcomes.” She went on to say the administration “is doing everything we can to accelerate the implementation of financial incentives to drive costs down and improve quality.”

AHA issues outlined for discussion during congressional visits included protecting patients from surprise medical bills while opposing rate-setting; site neutral provisions; and delaying the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts, scheduled to take effect Oct. 1. Visits were made with representatives from the offices of Reps. Lucas, Cole, and Mullins and Sen. Lankford.

At the State Chamber meeting, a well-attended breakout session on Medicaid expansion featured speakers Matt Solo, executive director, National Association of Medicaid Directors, and Josh Trent, principal, Leavitt Partners. All members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation addressed the group on a special briefing on Wednesday. The Chamber event had record attendance and was a great networking event. (Patti Davis)