Vizient, Inc. Submits Comments to CMS about Medicaid DSH Cuts; Encourages Administration to Consider Impact to Safety-Net Providers

Business Wire

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vizient, Inc. submitted comments today to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) regarding a proposed rule outlining a methodology to implement the Affordable Care Act’s required annual reductions to state Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) allotments.

While Vizient continues to encourage a legislative delay of the implementation date of the scheduled Medicaid DSH cuts, our comments primarily focus on our strong concerns regarding the data used to calculate the DSH reductions. In particular, Vizient is concerned that the lack of current, reliable and accurate data sources does not recognize or reflect the current wide variations in DSH allotments among states. We support delaying the DSH reductions until a more robust conversation regarding data occurs.

Additionally, Vizient encourages CMS to use its authority to consider modifications and refinements to the reduction methodology in future years. We respectfully ask the agency to consider the indispensable role of America’s hospitals and health systems – and the potential impact that the DSH reductions may have on their ability to continue providing the care for patients and communities they serve.

Vizient is the nation’s largest health care performance improvement company serving a diverse membership that includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health care delivery networks and non-acute health care providers.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country, provides innovative data-driven solutions, expertise and collaborative opportunities that lead to improved patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient’s diverse membership base includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks and non-acute health care providers and represents more than $100 billion in annual purchasing volume. The Vizient brand identity represents the integration of VHA Inc., University HealthSystem Consortium and Novation, which combined in 2015, as well as MedAssets’ Spend and Clinical Resource Management (SCM) segment, including Sg2, which was acquired in 2016. In 2017, Vizient again received a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute. Vizient’s headquarters are in Irving, Texas, with locations in Chicago and other cities across the United States. Please visit www.vizientinc.com as well as our newsroom, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube pages for more information about the company.