Tavenner Selection to Lead CMS Praised by Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care

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Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care

Nov 28, 2011, 10:16 ET

Tenure as Virginia Health Secretary Underscores Her Understanding of Medicare-Medicaid Interrelationship in Delivery of High Quality Long Term, Post-Acute Care

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care today praised the Obama Administration's intent to nominate Marilyn Tavenner as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), noting she developed invaluable experience working with skilled nursing facility (SNF) providers while serving as Virginia Health Secretary in addition to gaining critical knowledge of the interrelationship between Medicare and Medicaid in the delivery of high quality long term and post-acute care.

"Marilyn Tavenner is a strong choice to lead CMS because of her reputation as a smart, competent administrator, and because she has a strong working knowledge of how Medicare and Medicaid funding adequacy are both integral to the ongoing ability of SNFs to provide high quality long term and post-acute care to U.S. seniors," stated Alan G. Rosenbloom, President of the Alliance. "We encourage the Senate Finance Committee to expeditiously consider Ms. Tavenner's nomination upon submission, and respectfully urge the U.S. Senate to confirm her before the end of the year."

Rosenbloom also noted, "The Alliance looks forward to working with Ms. Tavenner to ensure that regulatory changes such as therapy reforms and payment adjustments are implemented in a manner that ensures stability in the SNF sector." Moving forward, Rosenbloom added, the Alliance will continue to make clear SNFs already play a key role in the post-acute care continuum, and are poised to play a still greater role as the Administration, Congress and providers work collaboratively to better rationalize and improve the nation's Medicare post-acute payment system.

"SNFs are part of the solution to health care cost containment," the Alliance leader concluded. "Weakening America's second largest health facility employer with an overwhelming barrage of regulatory changes and budget cuts – with yet more funding cuts still possible — is counterproductive, illogical, and hurtful to the ability of our sector to continue providing high quality long term and post-acute care to America's growing population of seniors."

www.aqnhc.org

SOURCE Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care