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LOBBYING REPORT |
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page
2. Address
Address1 | 1108 Lavaca, Suite 700 |
Address2 |
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City | Austin |
State | TX |
Zip Code | 78701 |
Country | USA |
3. Principal place of business (if different than line 2)
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5. Senate ID# 70973-12
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6. House ID# 358800000
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TYPE OF REPORT | 8. Year | 2015 |
Q1 (1/1 - 3/31) | Q2 (4/1 - 6/30) | Q3 (7/1 - 9/30) | Q4 (10/1 - 12/31) |
9. Check if this filing amends a previously filed version of this report
10. Check if this is a Termination Report | Termination Date |
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11. No Lobbying Issue Activity |
INCOME OR EXPENSES - YOU MUST complete either Line 12 or Line 13 | |||||||||
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12. Lobbying | 13. Organizations | ||||||||
INCOME relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period was: | EXPENSE relating to lobbying activities for this reporting period were: | ||||||||
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Provide a good faith estimate, rounded to the nearest $10,000, of all lobbying related income for the client (including all payments to the registrant by any other entity for lobbying activities on behalf of the client). | 14. REPORTING Check box to indicate expense accounting method. See instructions for description of options. | ||||||||
Method A.
Reporting amounts using LDA definitions only
Method B. Reporting amounts under section 6033(b)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code Method C. Reporting amounts under section 162(e) of the Internal Revenue Code |
Signature | Digitally Signed By: Jennifer O'Neil |
Date | 10/14/2015 3:19:22 PM |
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code BUD
16. Specific lobbying issues
Provided education to members of Congress and their staff about the impact of budget proposals included in the House FY2016 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations bill and the Senate FY2016 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations bill.
Educated staff on the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) and the need for adequate funding in the appropriations bill.
Discussed with members of Congress and staff about the need to restore funding to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and how hospitals utilize the information and research from AHRQ.
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Taylor |
Coffey |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code MMM
16. Specific lobbying issues
Provided education to Members of Congress and their staff about renewal of a Texas Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver, the impact of Delivery System Reform Improvement Projects across the state and the role of hospitals in the waiver. Also provided information on the states 1115 waiver renewal application submitted to CMS in September and the timeline for negotiation over the next year.
H.R.1343/S.688 - Would require CMS to take into account patients' sociodemographic status when imposing financial penalties for excessive hospital readmissions for Medicare patients. - Met with congressional staff on how socioeconomic status impacts health and the importance of this legislation, especially to large safety net hospitals.
H.R.1479 - Repeal of the Obamacare Bay State Boondoogle Act - Would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply budget neutrality on a State-specific basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for non-rural areas. - Discussed with congressional staff and members of Congress that provisions related to how the current Medicare Area Wage Index impacts hospitals in Texas, and how the implementation of a rural floor would help rural hospitals across the state and country.
H.R.2156 - Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 - Would replace the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) contingency fee structure with a flat fee to reduce the financial incentive for overzealous auditing practices; lowers payments for poor RAC performance; allows hospitals to rebill claims when appropriate; and requires RACs to base their inpatient claims decisions on only the information the physician had when treating the patient. - Discussed with congressional staff the burden the RACs put on hospitals and how RAC reform is necessary to improve efficiency and fairness.
H.R. 2513 - PACE Act of 2015 - Would remove the prohibition on expansion of physician-owned hospitals. - Met with staff on the role these facilities play in the health care infrastructure compared to general acute care hospitals (treating healthier patients and less Medicare and Medicaid populations) and how physician-owned hospitals raise ethical concerns for cherry-picking patients and physician self-referral.
H.R.3288 - Strengthening DSH and Medicare Through Subsidy Recapture and Payment Reform Act of 2015 - Would shift disproportionate share hospital (DSH) program payments to a lump sum, rather than per discharge add-on payments and increases DSH in states that have not expanded Medicaid. - Explained to congressional staff and members of Congress that hospitals would benefit from the bi-weekly payments proposed in this bill because there would be less delay in cash flow, but also expressed concerns for the offset proposed for the DHS pool for non-expansion states. This ACA subsidy recapture offset is an easy target to be cut in the future when Congress needs to find savings or a means to pay for another program in the future.
H.R.3291 - Medicare Crosswalk Hospital Code Development Act of 2015 - Would create a Healthcare Common Procedure Classification System (HCPCS) version of MS-DRGs that will serve as a guide to connecting the inpatient and outpatient coding and payment systems for implementing site-neutral payments. - Educated staff on why the hospital industry cannot support site-neutral payments, as these policies do not take in to account a variety of factors that influence why a procedure is performed in a specific setting.
H.R.3292 - Medicare IME Pool Act of 2015 - Would give teaching hospital a lump-sum payment to reimburse indirect medical education (IME) costs, instead of paying the hospital an additional percentage based on each inpatient case. - Discussed with congressional staff how the methodology proposed in HR3292 is redistributive and could benefit some hospitals in Texas while hurting others.
Rural Hospital Issues:
Discussed a variety of issues impacting rural and critical access hospitals with members of congress and their staff. Rural hospitals would greatly benefit from the passage of several pieces of legislation that would relieve onerous burdens and help the facilities better serve their communities. Specific legislation discussed includes: H.R.1479, S.1648, S.332, H.R.169/S.258, H.R.3225
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Taylor |
Coffey |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.
15. General issue area code HCR
16. Specific lobbying issues
Provided education to Members of Congress and their staff about renewal of a Texas Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver, the impact of Delivery System Reform Improvement Projects across the state and the role of hospitals in the waiver. Also provided information on the states 1115 waiver renewal application submitted to CMS in September and the timeline for negotiation over the next year. Provided data to Members of the Texas congressional delegation and their staff on the number of uninsured individuals in each district and statewide. Provided information on the uncompensated care burden in the state and how that impact the 1115 waiver renewal as well as the safety net in the state.
Provided information to members of Congress and their staff on physician-owned hospitals.
Provided education to members of Congress and their staff about the importance of adequate funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program.
Provided education to Members of Congress and their staff about health insurance coverage expansion options in the state of Texas.
340B Drug Pricing Program - Educated staff on the 340B Drug Pricing Program and how hospitals are involved. Discussed recently released guidance from HRSA on the program and how changes to the definition of patient and qualified entity, are of concern to the hospitals in Texas, especially in relation to the states ban on the corporate practice of medicine.
Trade Adjustment Assistance Program -Discussed with staff how THA cannot support the use of Medicare to pay for the trade adjustment assistance program, as was proposed in the trade promotion authority legislation.
H.R.1343/S.688 - Would require CMS to take into account patients' sociodemographic status when imposing financial penalties for excessive hospital readmissions for Medicare patients. - Met with congressional staff on how socioeconomic status impacts health and the importance of this legislation, especially to large safety net hospitals.
H.R.1479 - Repeal of the Obamacare Bay State Boondoogle Act - Would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply budget neutrality on a State-specific basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor for non-rural areas. - Discussed with congressional staff and members of Congress that provisions related to how the current Medicare Area Wage Index impacts hospitals in Texas, and how the implementation of a rural floor would help rural hospitals across the state and country.
H.R. 2513 - PACE Act of 2015 - Would remove the prohibition on expansion of physician-owned hospitals. - Met with staff on the role these facilities play in the health care infrastructure compared to general acute care hospitals (treating healthier patients and less Medicare and Medicaid populations) and how physician-owned hospitals raise ethical concerns for cherry-picking patients and physician self-referral.
H.R.3291 - Medicare Crosswalk Hospital Code Development Act of 2015 - Would create a Healthcare Common Procedure Classification System (HCPCS) version of MS-DRGs that will serve as a guide to connecting the inpatient and outpatient coding and payment systems for implementing site-neutral payments. - Educated staff on why the hospital industry cannot support site-neutral payments, as these policies do not take in to account a variety of factors that influence why a procedure is performed in a specific setting.
H.R. 2646 - Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 - Would make a variety of sweeping changes to the mental health infrastructure and while also reforming provider outreach, community-based treatment options, and justice system reform. - Discussed with staff how THA support the overall direction this bill would take the mental health system, and encouraged the use of community care in reforming the way we address mental health issues.
Rural Hospital Issues:
Discussed a variety of issues impacting rural and critical access hospitals with members of congress and their staff. Rural hospitals would greatly benefit from the passage of several pieces of legislation that would relieve onerous burdens and help the facilities better serve their communities. Specific legislation discussed includes: H.R.1479, S.1648, S.332, H.R.169/S.258, H.R.3225
17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None
U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area
First Name | Last Name | Suffix | Covered Official Position (if applicable) | New |
Taylor |
Coffey |
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19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None
Information Update Page - Complete ONLY where registration information has changed.
20. Client new address
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21. Client new principal place of business (if different than line 20)
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22. New General description of client’s business or activities
LOBBYIST UPDATE
23. Name of each previously reported individual who is no longer expected to act as a lobbyist for the client
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ISSUE UPDATE
24. General lobbying issue that no longer pertains
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AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS
25. Add the following affiliated organization(s)
Internet Address:
Name | Address |
Principal Place of Business (city and state or country) |
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26. Name of each previously reported organization that is no longer affiliated with the registrant or client
1 | 2 | 3 |
FOREIGN ENTITIES
27. Add the following foreign entities:
Name | Address |
Principal place of business (city and state or country) |
Amount of contribution for lobbying activities | Ownership percentage in client | ||||||||||
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28. Name of each previously reported foreign entity that no longer owns, or controls, or is affiliated with the registrant, client or affiliated organization
1 | 3 | 5 |
2 | 4 | 6 |