WHITE PLAINS, NY – Congresswoman Lowey was presented with the “Inde” Award today for her work on behalf of rehabilitation hospitals.  The award was given for her efforts to halt the implementation of the “75% Rule.”

The “75% Rule,” which was originally instated in 1984, required rehab facilities to show that 75 percent of patients required treatment for one of a limited number of medical conditions.  The regulation was seldom enforced and was suspended altogether in 2002.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) choose to reinstate the rule last year, but did not update it to reflect current medical practices.  Rehabilitation is used to treat a much wider range of illness today than it was when this rule was first implemented.

Congresswoman Lowey is leading the fight in the House of Representatives to suspend enforcement of the new rule pending an independent evaluation of its impact on hospitals and patients.  That requirement was included in last year’s Omnibus Appropriations bill.

Today, Lowey was presented with the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association’s “Inde” Award by officials from White Plains’ Burke Rehabilitation Center and Haverstraw’s Helen Hayes Hospital.  The “Inde” is given to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to people with disabilities. 

“I am so proud to receive this award,” said Lowey.  “CMS made a mistake when they chose to start enforcing the ‘75% Rule’ without updating it to reflect what our hospitals are actually doing.  We shouldn’t punish rehab hospitals or patients because of an outdated regulation.  I’ll continue to fight to ensure that we allow our rehab hospitals to provide top-quality care to patients.”