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Dec. 2, 2024
Post-acute Care
Post-acute care includes rehabilitation or palliative services that patients receive after (or in some cases, instead of) a stay in an acute care hospital. Post-acute care is dependent upon the level of care the patient requires, and treatment may include a stay in a facility, ongoing outpatient therapy, or care provided at home.
Post-acute CarePage
Dec. 2, 2024
Telehealth
While Wisconsin families can take advantage of one of the best health care systems in the country, many Wisconsin communities struggle to retain access to health care services due to provider shortages or transportation barriers.
Telehealth - AdvocacyPage
Nov. 27, 2024
Medicare
WHA advocates for our members on initiatives and reforms related to Medicare payment.
MedicarePage
Nov. 27, 2024
Opioids
WHA supports the efforts of member hospitals in raising awareness of this issue, developing specific strategies to address the use and abuse of opioids, and creating a culture of change that is responsive to the growing epidemic of opioid use and abuse in Wisconsin.
OpioidsPage
Nov. 27, 2024
Medicare Wage Index
The Medicare Wage Index has been an important part of the Medicare inpatient prospective payment system for a long time. However, now, the wage index plays an even larger part in the calculation of Medicare payments made to providers. One of the reasons for this is that Medicare rate increases have been very low due to tight federal budgets. This means that a hospital's wage index change from the previous year can determine whether Medicare reimbursement will increase or decrease.
MedicarePage
Nov. 26, 2024
Critical Access Hospitals
A Critical Access Hospital (CAH) is often located in a rural part of the state, and it provides short-term hospital stays when someone has a severe injury or illness, an urgent medical condition, or is recovering from surgery. A freestanding critical access hospital allows for a measured transition toward an integrated multi-service health care facility. CAHs help preserve local health services and the unique qualities of the small town.
Critical AccessPage
Nov. 26, 2024
Home Health
WHA provides hospital-specific analysis of these rules on the WHA portal.
Home HealthPage
Oct. 1, 2024
Next of Kin Legislation
Wisconsin hospitals strive to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place and at the right time. Unfortunately, the health care system is severely constrained by a persistent workforce shortage, under reimbursement by government programs, and regulatory hurdles. WHA created a post-acute care workgroup with its members and other Wisconsin health care leaders to explore how to alleviate the pressures that constrain our system. One common theme was that many states have “next-of-kin” laws that allow a surrogate to make decisions about an incapacitated person’s health care so families do not have to undergo burdensome guardianship process to get their loved one to the appropriate site of care. Learn more about how a “next-of-kin” framework could help improve care in Wisconsin.
Post-acute CarePage
Oct. 1, 2024
Reimbursement and Coverage
Two out of three patients receiving care at a Wisconsin hospital are covered by either Medicare or Medicaid (BadgerCare). Both the federal Medicare and state-administered Medicaid programs underfund Wisconsin hospitals, causing a cost-shift onto everyone else who receives care at a hospital. This underfunding and resulting cost-shift has been called a “Hidden Health Care Tax” by Wisconsin businesses. Between Medicare and Medicaid, the government programs underfund Wisconsin hospitals by $3 billion a year – for hospital services alone.
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Mar. 11, 2024
Workforce and Team-Based Care
Among the many issues facing the field of health care, none is more important than solving the growing workforce crisis in order to sustain the high-quality, high-value health care Wisconsin citizens expect and deserve. This page provides more information on how WHA and Wisconsin hospitals are working to resolve this critical issue.
Workforce - Advocacy