A recent HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report examines Medicare services provided during the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) payment window – that is, the period when certain outpatient services related to an inpatient admission are considered to be included in the DRG payment. Currently, outpatient services delivered within three days of an inpatient admission in a setting owned by the admitting hospital are included in the DRG payment. On the other hand, the OIG notes that services provided by hospitals that share a common owner (i.e., multiple hospitals owned by the same corporation) are not subject to the DRG window. The OIG estimated that Medicare payments for outpatient services provided at settings owned by admitting hospitals in the 11 days prior to the DRG window totaled $263 million in 2011. The Medicare program also paid an estimated $45 million in 2011 for outpatient services provided at hospitals affiliated with, but not owned by, admitting hospitals during the three days prior to inpatient admissions. The OIG recommends that CMS seek legislative authority to (1) expand the “DRG window” to include additional days prior to the inpatient admission (the OIG does not specify the number of days), and (2) expand the DRG window to include other hospital ownership arrangements, such as affiliated hospital groups. CMS did not concur with either recommendation, noting that they have not been proposed by the President and observing that they would require legislation.