October 5, 2023- Vizient, Inc. offered feedback in response to the House Ways and Means Committee’s Request for Information (RFI) on improving healthcare in rural and underserved areas. Through the RFI, Vizient shared insights on the ongoing challenges facing rural health providers and offered policy recommendations to improve care delivery, financing, reimbursement, and workforce options, among other topics.
Vizient offered specific policy solutions to support the financial viability of rural healthcare providers. For example, Vizient encouraged the committee to support reimbursement policies and programs that account for rural providers’ unique challenges.
Vizient reiterated concerns with damaging site-neutral payment policies that would reduce reimbursement for critical services and encouraged the committee to provide needed investments in rural healthcare without reducing reimbursement for other providers.
To improve care delivery, Vizient also encouraged Congress to utilize tools, such as the patent pending Vizient Vulnerability Index, to understand social drivers of health in rural communities and help identify the unique challenges they face.