Nassau Suffolk Hospital Council Inc

& PART III, LINE 1: THE MISSION OF THE NASSAU-SUFFOLK HOSPITAL COUNCIL, INC. (NSHC) IS TO:- PROVIDE A FORUM FOR THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY,- IDENTIFY KEY POLICY ISSUES CONFRONTING THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY AND PROVIDE ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION REGARDING THOSE ISSUES CONSISTENT WITH THE COLLECTIVE INTEREST OF THE MEMBERSHIP AND THE PUBLIC,- SUPPORT THE MEMBERS' MISSIONS BY DISSEMINATING INFORMATION AND DATA TO ASSIST MEMBERS IN MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING THEIR FINANCIAL RESOURCES,- ASSIST IN PLANNING FOR THE EFFICIENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY HEALTHCARE SERVICES LOCATED IN AND SERVING NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTIES,- IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS WHICH WILL LEAD TO BETTER HEALTHCARE POLICY AND DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE SERVICES.

STATE: NSHC AND ITS MEMBER HOSPITALS WORKED WITH THE HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE AND NEW YORK'S ALLIED REGIONAL HOSPITAL ASSOCIATIONS THROUGHOUT 2021 TO INTERPRET AND OFFER GUIDANCE TO MEMBERS ON HUNDREDS OF WAIVERS, EXECUTIVE ORDERS, AND OTHER DIRECTIVES THAT CONTINUED AS A RESULT OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. THIS INVOLVED FREQUENT INTERACTION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH LEADERSHIP, WEIGHING IN ON ISSUES SUCH AS SURGE AND FLEX REGULATIONS, PPE REQUIREMENTS, VACCINE IMPLEMENTATION, AND WORKFORCE ISSUES PERTAINING TO TESTING, VACCINATION AND WAIVER REGULATIONS. NSHC ALSO SERVED IN A COORDINATING ROLE FOR THE VACCINE HUB. CONCURRENTLY, IN THE EARLY PART OF THE YEAR, NSHC ENGAGED LAWMAKERS AND STATE HEALTH LEADERSHIP REGARDING COMPONENTS OF THE STATE BUDGET. OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ENSURING THE CLINICAL STAFFING COMMITTEE LAW WAS NOT OVERLY BURDENSOME TO HOSPITALS AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, AVOIDED STATE-MANDATED STAFFING RATIOS. NSHC CONTINUED TO COORDINATE POPULATION HEALTH ACTIVITIES VIA THE INITIATIVE KNOWN AS THE LONG ISLAND HEALTH COLLABORATIVE WITHOUT ANY STATE FUNDING BECAUSE SUCH FUNDING ENDED IN 2020. ENROLLMENT ACTIVITIES UNDER THE NYSDOH AGED, BLIND AND DISABLED GRANT WERE ALSO AFFECTED BY THE ONGOING PANDEMIC. HOWEVER, THE PROGRAM CONTINUED TO PROVIDE PHONE AND VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE AND LIMITED IN-PERSON ASSISTANCE.

FEDERAL: NSHC AND ITS MEMBER HOSPITALS, ALONG WITH THE HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE AND NEW YORK'S ALLIED REGIONAL HOSPITAL ASSOCIATIONS AND THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION, WERE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING FUNDING FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN. THROUGHOUT 2021, NSHC CONTINUED TO FIGHT FOR FAVORABLE TERMS RELATED TO LOANS AND ACCELERATED ADVANCE PAYMENTS OFFERED TO HOSPITALS AS PART OF THE PANDEMIC RESPONSE AND CONTINUED DELAY OF ENACTMENT OF SCHEDULED MEDICARE TWO-PERCENT SEQUESTER CUTS. NSHC CONTINUED ITS ADVOCACY AGAINST MEDICARE SITE-NEUTRAL CUTS, THREATS TO THE 340B DRUG PROGRAM, THE NEED FOR HOSPITAL INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE LEGISLATION, AS WELL AS WORK IN THE AREA OF WAGE INDEX POLICY. NSHC WORKED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ADVOCATING AGAINST OTHER PROPOSED RULES AND LEGISLATION SUCH AS PRICE TRANSPARENCY AND NO SURPRISES ACT.