Lawmakers Tour Columbia Hospitals To Discuss Workforce, Prior Authorization Challenges
State legislators toured two Columbia, Mo., hospitals on Aug. 25 to see firsthand the care these organizations provide to their community.
Reps. Gregg Bush, D-Columbia, John Martin, R-Columbia, and Tim Taylor, R-Bunceton, visited Boone Hospital Center, where hospital leaders discussed workforce demands — including the time and difficulty involved in recruiting and hiring physicians.
Lawmakers also learned about the administrative burden of prior authorization and how physicians often spend hours on the phone appealing insurer denials, which takes time away from patient care. Additionally, hospital leaders shared how many staff each department needs to manage prior authorization, denials and appeals.
Reps. Bush and Martin also toured Landmark Hospital of Columbia, a long-term acute care hospital that bridges the gap between short-term acute care and lower-acuity health care settings. There, leaders discussed how Landmark's specialty care allows patients to keep healing while freeing up beds for patients needing emergency or surgical care. Discussion also centered on payer mix and other challenges facing the hospital.
These visits are part of the Missouri Hospital Association’s ongoing work to connect legislators with hospital leaders across the state and help policymakers better understand how legislation affects patient care and hospital operations.
Any MHA-member hospital interested in hosting a legislator visit is encouraged to reach out to MHA's governmental relations team, who can help with scheduling, framing key talking points and coordinating the visit from start to finish.
The Missouri Hospital Association is a nonprofit association in Jefferson City that represents 136 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public about health care issues.
