On February 14th LeadingAge sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra urging him to extend the waiver of the 3-day hospital stay requirement in order to qualify for post-acute SNF services. The letter points out that the provision is outdated, a relic from a time when hospital stays were longer; today care that was once available only in a hospital can be provided in a SNF. The provision results in additional costly (and otherwise unnecessary) hospital days at a time when hospital overcrowding is a concern. Further it causes confusion and sometimes, surprise billing for beneficiaries. Copies of the letter were shared with the CMS Administrator and the HHS Assistant Secretary for Legislation. LeadingAge will be reaching out next to Congressional leadership urging that they change the statutory requirement; in the meantime, we press Secretary Becerra to extend the waiver that has been in place since the beginning of the PHE.
