Title: The Legal/Regulatory Framework: Implementing Policies for Caring for the Uninsured as a Healthcare Compliance Strategy
1The Legal/Regulatory Framework Implementing
Policies for Caring for the Uninsured as a
Healthcare Compliance Strategy
- Suzie Draper
- Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer
- Intermountain Healthcare
2Current Climate
- Era of increased social responsibility for large
businesses - Hospitals are stuck between a rock and a hard
place because - Healthcare utilization is increasing
- The number of uninsured is increasing
- The reimbursement rate is decreasing
- Social responsibility takes on a whole new
meaning in the healthcare environment - Accurately reporting and quantifying the
community benefit that healthcare provides is
increasingly critical with increased public
scrutiny
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4Social Responsibility
- Society expects a certain degree of
accountability from big businesses - A clear message when sent after Enron
- Jobs were lost
- Pensions went by the wayside
- Investors were misled
5A Rock and a Hard Place
- Utilization of healthcare is exploding
- To address this, hospitals are working to improve
how care is delivered to each patient - Providing the right care at the right time, every
time, is critical - Hospitals that achieve top standards in care
could reduce patients time in the hospital and
complications
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7A Rock and a Hard Place
- Rates of those with healthcare coverage is
rapidly decreasing - Fewer employers can afford to provide coverage
- Individuals may not be able to afford coverage on
their own
8Uninsured and uncompensated care track parallel
trends
Non-elderly Uninsured
(in millions)
Uncompensated Care
(in billions)
Source Census Bureau, American Hospital
Association
9Compliance Issues and the Uninsured
- The healthcare environment is the most regulated
industry in the nation - Several of these regulatory issues take on a new
life when the uninsured are involved - Emergency Room treatment requirements
- Section 1101 Federal Reimbursement for Emergency
Services Provided to Undocumented Aliens - Identity Theft
- Language Services
10Emergency Room Care
11Emergency Room Care
- The uninsured are heavy users of the ER
- Makes the already overcrowded ERs even more so
- If the hospitals ER is at capacity, it may go on
diversionary status, forcing individuals arriving
via ambulance to go elsewhere for care - Under federal law, patients that enter the ER
cannot be turned away, regardless of their
ability to pay
12Problems with both Supply and Demand
- Decreased supply caused by
- Hospital closures and mergers
- Reimbursement constraints
- Nursing shortage
- Less profitable services have been replaced by
higher revenue producing services such as
cardiovascular care - Reduced discharge options
13Increased Demand
- More patients without insurance seeking care in
the ER - Increased delay in being able to make an
appointment to see a primary care provider - Stricter enforcement of the Emergency Medical
Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)
14Specifically, EMTALA
- Sets forth requirements for medical screening
examinations (MSE) for medical conditions, - Sets forth requirements for necessary stabilizing
treatment or appropriate transfer, and - Prohibits a delay in providing required screening
or stabilization services in order to inquire
about the individual's payment method or
insurance status
15Results of EMTALA
- In effect, its Americas answer to universal
access to health careand a huge unfunded mandate
on emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, on-call
specialists and hospitals. - Dr. Art Kellermann, an emergency physician who
testified at the early Congressional hearings on
patient dumping
16Section 1101
- Federal Reimbursement for Emergency Services
Provided to Undocumented Aliens - Covered services are the same as those required
by EMTALA - 250 million is available annually
- Payment is only provided for services that were
not otherwise reimbursed
17Section 1101
18Identity Theft
- Accurate identification of patients who choose to
provide false information - Illegal aliens may think they need a SSN for
treatment - Patients with drug seeking behavior
- Insurance fraud
- Ramifications include
- Inaccurate medical history
- Uncollectible services
- Law enforcement involvement
19Language Barriers and the Uninsured
- One particularly challenging portion of the
patient population is both - Uninsured
- Considered to be limited English proficient
- More than half of immigrants are uninsured
- Providing language services and healthcare
services can be costly to organizations
20Regulations Related to Language Services
- Examples of regulations that pertain to the
provision of language services include - Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
21Language Services Regulations
- TITLE VI of the 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
- "No person in the United States shall, on the
ground of race, color or national origin, be
excluded from participation in, be denied the
benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination
under any program or activity receiving federal
financial assistance."
22Requirements of Title VI
- Must offer language services at no cost to each
patient with limited English proficiency during
all hours of operation. - Must notify patients of their rights to receive
such services
23Title VI (cont.)
- Must assure high quality language services are
provided - Family and friends should not be used to provide
interpretation services (except on request by the
patient/consumer) - Must provide translated patient-related materials
and signage, based on the population served
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25ADA
- Protects against discrimination of individuals
with disabilities - Emphasizes the provision of effective aids so
that they may have full and equal enjoyment of
all healthcare services
26ADA (cont.)
- Examples of accommodations
- Use of qualified interpreters
- Provision of written materials
- Closed captioning
- Video Relay Services
27Keep in Mind
- While challenging for healthcare systems,
regulations such as Title VI, ADA, and EMTALA
serve a needed purpose - To ensure that no one is denied emergency care
- Regardless of
- Their ability to pay or
- The language they speak or
- Any disabilities they may have
28Community Benefit
- Demonstration of steps the provider is taking to
support its nonprofit charitable mission - However, it receiving increased scrutiny by the
IRS - As a result, proper documentation of community
benefit is critical
29IRS Interim ReportTax-Exempt Hospitals and
Community Benefit
- The lack of consistency or uniformity in
classifying and reporting uncompensated care and
various types of community benefit often makes it
difficult to assess whether a hospital is in
compliance with current law. - Lois Lerner
- Director of IRS Exempt Organization Division
30Community Benefit Industry Response
- American Hospital Association is encouraging its
members to actively report their community
benefits through - Encourage Public Reporting
- Retain the Community Benefit Standard
- Increased Financial Accountability
31Community Benefit Programs Types
Community benefit operations Dedicated staff Community health needs and assessments Health professionals education, including scholarships Community health services Health education Clinical services
Subsidized health services Emergency and trauma services Hospital outpatient services Behavioral health services Palliative care and hospice Financial contributions Cash donations Grants In-kind donations Community building Physical improvements and housing Economic development Environmental improvements Coalition building
Subsidized health services Emergency and trauma services Hospital outpatient services Behavioral health services Palliative care and hospice Research Community building Physical improvements and housing Economic development Environmental improvements Coalition building
32Beyond the Numbers
- Community benefit programs, while not necessarily
revenue producing, tie what healthcare systems do
back to their missions - Providing compassionate healthcare to all
- Promoting the health of communities
- Paying special attention to those who need it the
most, including those who are the most vulnerable
33The Future of Healthcare
- The number of unfunded government mandates is
increasing - Extensive requirements for hospitals strain the
amount of resources available to provide care to
the communities they serve - Ongoing sustainability of healthcare requires
innovative approaches - This will no doubt shape politics in America for
years to come
34Other Tax Considerations
- IRS 990 Revisions
- Conflict of Interest Processes
- Boards
- Officers
- The Future of Property Tax Exemption
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36Questions/Discussion