Los Robles Regional Medical Center To Receive Extra Federal Funding Under New Medicare Law
Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks will receive up to $1.5 million in additional funding through Medicare because of a one-time provision included in the new Medicare law, the Ventura County Star reports. Under the Medicare law, 121 hospitals nationwide will receive $900 million over a three-year period. The funds are intended to provide financial aid to hospitals that have demonstrated a need for extra money but did not meet all of the requirements to qualify for increased Medicare reimbursement rates, according to CMS, which announced the higher rates this week. More than 550 hospitals applied for reimbursement rate changes. Los Robles, one of two California hospitals that were selected to receive the funding, will be reimbursed for treating Medicare patients at a higher rate retroactive to April 1. The hospital treats 5,000 Medicare inpatients per year. Los Robles spokesperson Kris Carraway-Bowman said the extra money will help offset the cost of $3 million in care improvements currently underway, including a prescription drug bar code system and a computerized X-ray system. Jan Emerson, vice president of external affairs for the California Healthcare Association, said the extra funds would help cover the cost of patient care at the California hospitals amid rising labor costs, a nursing shortage and state-mandated seismic upgrades (Lee, Ventura County Star, 4/21).
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