CMS releases FY 2018 inpatient PPS final rule
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 2 issued the FY 2018 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule, which updates Medicare payment and policies when patients are discharged from hospitals. The rule increases rates by 1.2%. This includes an initial market-basket update of 2.7%…
Reduction in readmissions not linked to increased mortality
Editor's Note Reductions in readmissions associated with the Affordable Care Act have not had the unintended consequence of increasing mortality after hospital discharge, finds this study. Analysis of more than 5 million Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure, heart attack, or pneumonia, found that reductions in hospital 30-day readmission rates…
CMS issues 2018 OPPS/ASC proposed payment rule
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 13 issued the CY 2018 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule. CMS is proposing an update of 1.9% for ASCs, which is a combination of a 2.3% inflation update…
CMS proposes paying for outpatient total joints
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on July 13 issued a proposed rule that updates payment rates and policy changes in the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System. Among the proposals are that Medicare pay for knee replacement procedures performed in outpatient…
Study identifies high-risk groups for readmissions
Editor's Note Comparing rates, characteristics, and costs of hospital readmissions across all ages and insurance types, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, found that of more than 12.5 million patients discharged in 2013, approximately 1.8 million were readmitted within 30 days. Medicare patients accounted for 56% of readmissions,…
CMS star ratings not linked to surgical outcomes
Editor's Note High Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings were not associated with improved patient outcomes in advanced laparoscopic abdominal surgery, this study finds. Morbidity at low-star hospitals was higher for colorectal surgery but not for bariatric or hiatal hernia surgery, and no significant…
Survey: Physicians unprepared for MACRA
Editor's Note A survey of 1,000 physicians by the American Medical Association and KPMG finds that fewer than one in four believe they are well prepared to meet the 2017 requirements of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), KPMG.com reported on June 28. MACRA reshapes how…
Value-based reforms linked to readmission reduction
Editor's Note Hospital participation in value-based reforms was associated with greater reductions in 30-day readmissions, this study finds. In this analysis of 2,837 hospitals between 2008 and 2015, researchers found that participation in one or more voluntary Medicare value-based reforms, which included the Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records program,…
CMS issues guide for quality payment programs
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a guide summarizing technical assistance resources available to small, underserved, and rural hospitals participating in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the Advanced Alternative Payment Model (AAPM). The guide also provides resources for quality innovation networks and…
Lower readmission rates linked to Medicare's HRRP
Studies have shown an association between reduced hospital readmission rates and programs implemented as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) to reduce healthcare costs and improve quality of care. Researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the RAND…
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