The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has issued its annual recommendations to Congress on updates to Medicare fee-for-service payment system rates, many of which overlap recommendations made in previous years. For instance, MedPAC continues to call for implementation of a unified prospective payment system (PPS) for post-acute care (PAC) providers, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), … Continue Reading
CMS is gearing up for the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Medicare payment system rulemaking cycle. The agency has requested that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review the FY 2019 proposed rules for the following payment systems: The Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital … 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 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
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released recommendations to Congress regarding how Medicare fee-for-service payment system rates should be adjusted in 2018. One of the focus areas for MedPAC is post-acute care (PAC), which includes skilled nursing facility (SNF), home health agency (HHA), inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), and long-term care hospital (LTCH) services. According … Continue Reading
According to a recent HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report, about 29% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced adverse or temporary harm events during their rehabilitation hospital stay, based on sample of 417 beneficiaries in March 2012. This rate is similar to the incidence of adverse events in acute-care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. The OIG … Continue Reading
On August 5, 2016, CMS is publishing its final rule to update Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for FY 2017, which begins October 1, 2016. CMS estimates that payments to IRFs will increase by 1.9% overall ($145 million) in FY 2017 compared to FY 2016 levels based on all … Continue Reading
CMS has published its proposed rule to update Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for FY 2017, which begins October 1, 2016. CMS estimates that rates would increase by 1.6% overall ($125 million) under the proposed rule compared to FY 2016 levels based on all policies and updates in the … Continue Reading
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released its annual recommendations to Congress on Medicare policies, including Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payment updates and a status report on the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs. The following are highlights of the recommendations for 2017 (some of which were recommended previously):… Continue Reading
On February 9, 2016, the Obama Administration released its proposed fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget, which contains significant Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and program integrity legislative proposals – including $419 billion in Medicare savings over 10 years. These proposed policy changes would require action by Congress, and Republican Congressional leaders have already voiced general opposition … Continue Reading
On February 4, 2016, CMS is hosting a provider call on Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act requirements regarding the reporting of standardized patient assessment data by post-acute care (PAC) providers (skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care hospitals). During this call, CMS and the Office of the National … Continue Reading
On November 20, 2015, CMS is publishing two notices requesting public comments on the development of surveys regarding patient and family member experiences with the care received in (1) inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and (2) long-term care hospitals (LTCHs). … Continue Reading
On August 6, 2015, CMS published its final rule to update Medicare PPS rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities for FY 2016, which begins October 1, 2015. CMS estimates that rates will increase by 1.8% overall ($135 million) under the final rule compared to FY 2015 levels. This increase reflects a 2.4% market basket update (using … Continue Reading
Despite the recent flurry of activity on Medicare payment rules, more are in the pipeline. CMS has sent the final fiscal year (FY) 2016 Medicare skilled nursing facility, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation facility, and inpatient psychiatric facility payment rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final regulatory clearance. The FY 2016 final … Continue Reading
The HHS OIG has updated its FY 2015 Work Plan to reflect new and/or completed items since release of its Work Plan in October 2014. Of note, the OIG has announced its plans to conduct several new Medicare reviews addressing: intensity-modulated radiation therapy; hospital preparedness and response to high-risk infectious diseases; access to DME in competitive … Continue Reading
On April 23, 2015, CMS released its proposed rule to update Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for FY 2016, which begins October 1, 2015. CMS estimates that rates would increase by 1.7% overall ($130 million) under the proposed rule compared to FY 2015 levels. This proposed increase reflects a … Continue Reading
CMS recently sent several major proposed rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget for regulatory clearance – the last step before publication in the Federal Register. OMB is reviewing proposed rules to update the skilled nursing facility, inpatient rehabilitation facility, and inpatient psychiatric facility prospective payment systems (PPS) for fiscal year (FY) … Continue Reading
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released its annual recommendations to Congress on Medicare policies, including Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payment updates and a status report on the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs. The following are highlights of the recommendations for 2016 (many of which were recommended previously):… Continue Reading
On February 2, 2015, the Obama Administration released its proposed federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The budget would impact all types of health care providers, health plans, and drug manufacturers if adopted as proposed – which is unlikely given Republican control of the House and Senate. Nevertheless, Congress can be expected to consider … Continue Reading
CMS is hosting a conference call for inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) providers regarding the IRF Quality Reporting Program on October 29, 2014. Specifically, CMS will discuss data collection and submission information for outcome measures related to hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), which IRF providers are required to report to … Continue Reading
On October 6, 2014, President Obama signed into law H.R. 4994, the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (the “IMPACT Act”). The IMPACT Act’s provisions will affect a broad range of post-acute care (PAC) providers: home health agencies (HHAs), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and long-term acute care hospitals (LTCHs). … Continue Reading
On August 6, 2014, CMS published its final rule to update Medicare payment policies under the inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) PPS for FY 2015. Under the final rule, CMS expects aggregate Medicare payments to IRFs will increase by $180 million, or 2.4%, compared to 2014 levels. The standard payment conversion factor for discharges for FY … Continue Reading
The OIG has issued a report entitled “Vulnerabilities in Medicare’s Interrupted-Stay Policy for Long-Term Care Hospitals.” By way of background, the Medicare long-term care hospital (LTCH) interrupted-stay policy generally treats time spent at an LTCH before and after an interruption as a single stay, rather than considering the second portion of the LTCH stay to be … Continue Reading
On May 7, 2014, CMS published its proposed rule to update Medicare payment policies under the inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) PPS for FY 2015. Under the proposed rule, rates would be updated by a 2.1% increase factor, which reflects a 2.7% market basket update, reduced by a -0.4% MFP adjustment and a -0.2 percentage point … Continue Reading
