At a hearing on specialty hospitals, Senate Finance Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) expressed their displeasure that 40 specialty hospitals have opened since 2004, despite a moratorium on new specialty hospitals, reports The Hill. Grassley told CMS administrator Mark McClellan that, “It is time for CMS to make a serious commitment to oversight of specialty hospitals,” besides CMS merely outlining policies to regulate specialty hospitals. But McClellan said CMS was only charged with denying payment to physician owners who improperly refer patients to their own facilities, not to ban new specialty hospitals. McClellan said that CMS’ new policies will require all institutions defined as hospitals to provide emergency services and treat the uninsured and future payments will remove incentives to cherry-pick patients. Grassley stated that he wants a requirement that physicians must disclose any ownership interests in a hospital when referring patients. Access article in The Hill. Access testimony from the committee hearing.
