January 2016

This week, the ATS sent a letter to the Chronic Care Workgroup of the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) in response to the workgroup's release of policy proposals on chronic care. In the letter, the ATS points out that respiratory diseases, critical illnesses and sleep disorders, such as COPD, ARDS and sleep apnea, represent a significant portion of the chronic care burden in the U.S.

The ATS urged the Working Group to expand the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' 75 percent rule on acute rehabilitation to include COPD, asthma, pneumonia, ARDS and sepsis. Currently under the rule, acute rehabilitation hospitals must maintain 75 percent of their patient population from a group of 13 diagnoses that do not include any respiratory, critical illness or sleep disorders. The ATS points out that studies have shown that interventions in the ICU, such as early mobilization and physical therapy, have a significant impact on patients' functional status at hospital discharge and reduce their long-term chronic care needs.

• The ATS urged the workgroup to include the following additional proposals in its forthcoming legislation on chronic care:
• Creation of a new payment code for high-severity chronic care
• Inclusion of respiratory therapists as part of chronic care management teams
• Adequate patient reimbursement for durable medical equipment for at-home use by patients with chronic respiratory diseases, including children
• Promotion of chronic disease prevention by ensuring comprehensive tobacco cessation services for all Americans.