The Trump Administration has formally withdrawn a number of pending Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposals that never reached the final rule stage. This includes: a controversial Part Medicare B drug payment innovation model; a proposal to protect same sex marriages in certain Medicare and Medicaid facilities (predating a related Supreme Court decision); … Continue Reading
CMS has released corrections to two major fiscal year (FY) 2018 Medicare payment rules. First, CMS has made numerous technical corrections to the FY 2018 inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) and long term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule. CMS has corrected MS-DRG and MS-LTCH-DRG relative weights, budget neutrality adjustment factors, fixed-loss … Continue Reading
CMS has released the calendar year (CY) 2018 amount in controversy (AIC) threshold amounts for Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearings and judicial review under the Medicare appeals process. The CY 2018 AIC threshold amounts are $160 for ALJ hearings (the same as 2017) and $1,600 for judicial review (compared to $1,560 in 2017). These amounts … Continue Reading
CMS has just corrected an error in a 2016 rulemaking that inadvertently called for a 10-fold increase in certain “Sunshine Act” civil monetary penalties (CMPs). Under section 1128G of the Social Security Act, applicable manufacturers must report annually to CMS any payments or other transfers of value to covered recipients. In addition, the statute requires … Continue Reading
CMS has finalized fiscal year (FY) 2018 Medicare hospice reimbursement rates and other updates to Medicare hospice policies. As mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), CMS is increasing FY 2018 hospice rates by 1% (approximately $180 million) for those hospices that submit required quality data; this update is reduced … Continue Reading
Signals Trump Administration’s About-Face on Obama-Era Mandatory Innovation Models The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just released a proposed rule to cancel a significant — but still-pending — Obama Administration program that would require certain hospitals to participate in Medicare episode payment models (EPMs) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass … Continue Reading
CMS has published a notice with comment period updating prospective payment system (PPS) rates for Medicare services furnished by inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) during fiscal year (FY) 2018. CMS estimates that its policies will increase payments by $45 million (0.99%) compared to FY 2017 levels. This increase is based on 1.25% payment rate update, offset … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has once again extended for six months its “temporary” moratoria on the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment of new nonemergency ground ambulance suppliers and home health agencies (HHAs) in selected states, effective July 29, 2017. The moratoria on new HHA enrollment (including new … Continue Reading
CMS has finalized Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) rates for inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) services for fiscal year (FY) 2018, which begins October 1, 2017. CMS estimates that IRF PPS payments will increase by 0.9% overall ($75 million) under the final rule compared to FY 2017 levels. As mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP … Continue Reading
CMS has released its final rule to update Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) rates and policies for FY 2018, which begins October 1, 2017. The final rule incorporates a 1% increase to SNF PPS rates as mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA); in the absence … Continue Reading
CMS has issued a proposed rule establishing a methodology to reduce state Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments annually beginning with fiscal year (FY) 2018, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act (and modified in subsequent legislation). CMS estimates that the rule would reduce state DSH allotments/payments by $43 billion for the period of FY … Continue Reading
CMS is proposing to cut CY 2018 Medicare home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) payments by 0.4% — or $80 million overall — compared to 2017 rates under a proposed rule published on July 28, 2017. Furthermore, the agency plans major revisions to the HH PPS case-mix methodology for 2019 that potentially could cut payments … Continue Reading
Rule Would Delay Appropriate Use Criteria Requirement until 2019, Cut Rates for Off-Campus Hospital Departments The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published its proposed rule to update the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) for calendar year (CY) 2018. The proposed rule addresses numerous Medicare policies, including: implementation of appropriate use criteria (AUC) … Continue Reading
CMS has published its proposed rule to update Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system rates and policies for calendar year (CY) 2018. In addition to proposing rate updates for the two payment systems, CMS solicits comments on a wide range of topics, including, among others: deep OPPS … Continue Reading
CMS has made numerous technical and typographical corrections to its October 4, 2016 final rule revising the requirements that long-term care facilities must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS notes that the corrections are consistent with the policy discussion in the final rule and do not result in substantive policy changes. … Continue Reading
CMS is delaying the effective date of its January 13, 2017 final home health agency (HHA) conditions of participation (CoP) rule for six months, until January 13, 2018. While CMS is not making any other substantive changes to the rule’s requirements., the agency is making two other conforming date changes: (1) CMS is giving HHAs … Continue Reading
CMS has proposed new regulations to continue implementing the “Quality Payment Program” (QPP) — the new Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) update framework mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). As previously reported, starting in 2017, physicians will be paid under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or the Advanced … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a proposed rule to update the Medicare end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS) for calendar year (CY) 2018. CMS anticipates that the proposed rule would increase total Medicare payments to ESRD facilities by 0.8% in 2018, with hospital-based ESRD facilities having an estimated … Continue Reading
In a clear turnabout from its previous position, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule on June 5, 2017 that would lift the agency’s ban on pre-dispute arbitration agreements in the long term care (LTC) setting. By contrast, less than nine months earlier, CMS prohibited LTC facilities from entering into … Continue Reading
CMS is extending the comment period on its May 4, 2017 advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) discussing plans to revise the basis for the Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS). As previously reported, the ANPRM set forth the outline of CMS’s plan to replace the current RUG-IV case-mix classification methodology with … Continue Reading
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is delaying until January 1, 2018 implementation of mandatory Medicare episode payment models (EPMs) for acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, and surgical hip/femur fracture treatment procedures furnished in designated geographic areas. Conforming changes to the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program also are being … Continue Reading
CMS has published a proposed rule to establish FY 2018 Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) rates for inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) services. CMS estimates that IRF PPS payments would increase by 1.0% overall ($80 million) under the proposed rule compared to FY 2017 levels. As mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of … Continue Reading
CMS has published a proposed rule to establish fiscal year (FY) 2018 Medicare hospice reimbursement rates, update hospice quality programs, and request public input on ways to improve the Medicare hospice program. The proposed rule would increase FY 2018 hospice rates by 1% (approximately $180 million), as mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization … Continue Reading
CMS has published 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) 2018. CMS also solicits public comments on a range of policy issues related to physician-owned hospitals, inpatient and outpatient payment differentials for similar services, and ways … Continue Reading
