The Federation of American Hospitals is urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to hold its horses in a demonstration project aimed at coordinating care for dual eligibles of Medicare and Medicaid. The trade group for more than 1000 investor-owned or managed community hospitals and health systems says the demonstration should be conducted on a limited basis before widely applying it to "vulnerable beneficiaries" on the proposed state-wide basis, the organization said in a Thursday letter to CMS.
"The FAH is concerned ... that the timelines suggested in the guidance are aggressive given the many complex financing and design issues that must first be resolved. While we appreciate the urgency in improving the care delivery system, which could generate some level of savings, the FAH cautions against expediency." Comments (.pdf)