Hospital acquired conditions

On August 28, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final payment rule for inpatient and long-term care hospitals (“LTCH”) that builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities to provide support to historically underserved and under-resourced communities and to promote the highest quality outcomes and safest care for all individuals. 

The fiscal year 2024 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (FY 2024 IPPS) and LTCH Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) final rule updates Medicare payments and policies for hospitals as required by statute. The rule adopts hospital quality measures to foster safety, equity, and reduce preventable harm in the hospital setting.

Under the rule, acute care hospitals and long-term care hospitals will see total payment increases of $2.2 billion and $6 million respectively. Additionally, the rule focuses on health equity and rural hospital access by recognizing higher costs to treat underserved populations.Continue Reading CMS Updates Medicare Rates and Policies for Inpatient and LTC Hospitals, Promoting Health Equity and Patient Safety

On May 12, 2015, CMS is hosting a call that will provide an overview of all Medicare hospital inpatient quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs. Specifically, the call will cover: the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program; the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) Program; the Hospital Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP); the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program

CMS is requesting proposals for Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) contracts from qualified entities to work on reducing preventable hospital acquired conditions and readmissions through the Partnership for Patients initiative. HENs will engage the hospital, provider, and broader care-giver communities to quickly implement tested, evidence-based, and measured best practices in order to reduce hospital-based harm and

On August 22, 2014, CMS is publishing a final rule to update the Medicare acute hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS) for fiscal year (FY) 2015, which begins October 1, 2014.  The following are highlights of the sweeping regulations.Continue Reading CMS Finalizes Medicare IPPS/LTCH PPS Update for FY 2015

Late on April 30, 2014, CMS released the advance text of its proposed rule to update the Medicare acute hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS) for fiscal year (FY) 2015.

With regard to IPPS hospitals, the rule would provide for a 1.3% operating payment rate update

On August 19, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule updating FY 2014 Medicare payment policies and rates under the acute inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and the long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS). The following are highlights of the lengthy rule:
Continue Reading CMS Finalizes FY 2014 Medicare IPPS, LTCH Rates

Hospital coding staff correctly reported indicators that identified conditions as present on admission (POA) in 97% of sampled claims from 2008, according to an OIG report entitled “Assessment of Hospital Reporting of Present on Admission Indicators on Medicare Claims.” The reported coding errors involved the assessment of developing or chronic conditions (21%), errors in assigning

On July 23, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a notice soliciting public comments on the development of a new long-term care facilities strategy module of the National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: Roadmap to Elimination. This module will be part of a broader plan to reduce healthcare-associated infections

On May 5, 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is publishing its proposed rule to update Medicare inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) hospital and long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH-PPS) payment and other policies for FY 2012. Overall, CMS estimates that FY 2012 payments to general acute care hospitals for operating expenses would decrease by $498 million (0.5%) under the proposed rule, while Medicare payments to LTCHs are projected to increase by $95 million (1.9%). CMS addresses a wide variety of policies in the more than 1000-page advance version of the rule. 

Highlights of the proposal are available after the jump.Continue Reading CMS Proposes Medicare Inpatient Hospital/LTCH Payment Policies for FY 2012

On April 12, 2011, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and CMS Administrator Donald Berwick launched a public-private “Partnership for Patients” to improve hospital care and transitions between care settings and reduce health system costs. By the end of 2013, the Partnership is committed to: (1) reducing preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% compared to 2010 levels; and

On February 17, 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule prohibiting Medicaid payments for care associated with “provider-preventable conditions” (PPCs). CMS would use the term PPC as an umbrella term for hospital and nonhospital conditions identified by the state for nonpayment. PPCs would encompass health-care acquired conditions, as

On December 2, 2010, HHS released “Healthy People 2020,” which sets forth new 10-year goals and objectives for national health promotion and disease prevention. The document includes a greater focus on identifying, measuring, tracking, and reducing health disparities through a “determinants of health” approach that examines the range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors

The HHS Office of Healthcare Quality is soliciting public comments on new draft components of the “HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections.” Specifically, HHS seeks comments on its draft strategies to prevent and reduce healthcare-associated infections in ambulatory surgical centers and in end-stage renal disease facilities, along with a draft strategy to increase influenza

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released two reports on patient quality trends. The National Healthcare Quality Report includes information obtained through quality measures, while the National Healthcare Disparities Report summarizes health care quality and access among various populations. Among other things, the Quality Report found that little progress has been made

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a notice March 31, 2010 inviting public and private professional health related organizations to participate as collaborating co-sponsors in the development and implementation of a program to advance the goals of the HHS “Action Plan” to prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections. Expressions of interest for fiscal year