NALTH member support is vital to the ongoing success of NALTH, the only national organization focused solely on the LTCH industry.

It enables NALTH to provide education programs specific to the LTCH industry, advocacy at the national level, detailed analysis specific to your hospital on the effect of rules and regulations, and other timely advisories/updates useful in supporting your business operations. NALTH is the primary advocate for LTCHs and continues to keep members informed on the impacts of current legislation. Thank you for your support and participation. NALTH welcomes your feedback and input, please feel free to contact us at info@nalth.org.

Current Focus (Priorities updated 04/24)

Ranked by priority.

1. Growth of Medicare Advantage (MA) and MA Denials
2. Patient Access to LTCH Care Act
3. Full Implementation of Site-Neutral Policy
4. Standard Rate LTCH Criteria
5. 25-Day ALOS Requirement
6. Demonstrating Value of LTCHs
7. Shift to Value-Based Care
8. Staffing Shortages/Rising Wages/Other Costs
   
   

Achievements

• Developed LTCH-PPS with Lewin Group.
• Worked closely with MedPAC on its LTCH Study and June 2004 Report to Congress.
• Effectively dealt with billing issues during LTCH-PPS transition.
• Drafted and lobbied Grandfathered HIH protection law. Section 4417(a) of the BBA of 1997.
  • Protected Grandfathered HIHs from revisions to HIH rules, including protection from 25% rule.
• Stopped QIO denials of rehabilitation cases in LTCHs.
• Secured written confirmation that the 25% rule does not apply to Grandfathered HIHs
  NALTH Criteria Development — Develop and validated admission, continued stay and discharge criteria.
  
• Advocated for NALTH-supported legislation by Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV), Patient Access to Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCH) Care Act
•  Pushed for CMS reforms to prior authorization in Medicare Advantage, which contributed to regulatory changes in 2023 MA rule and other regulations
• Provide ongoing support to NALTH members through payment rule impact analyses NALTH Calculator® (allows flexible modeling of LTCH PPS payments), and FAQs
• Developed the NALTH Medicare Advantage Toolkit to support members in appealing MA denials
• Supported several research studies documenting the important role of LTCHs in the continuum of care, including studies showing that admission to an LTCH reduces short-term hospital length of stay and ICU days, and that early transfer to an LTCH increase likelihood of patient weaning off a ventilator