1. Proposed Rule CMS-1533-P
Title: Medicare Program; Proposed Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates
Publication Date: 05/03/2007
Description: We are proposing to revise the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs to implement changes arising from our continuing experience with these systems, and to implement certain provisions made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-171), the Medicare Improvements and Extension Act under Division B, Title I of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-432), and the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (Pub. L. 109-417). In addition, in the Addendum to this proposed rule, we describe the proposed changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the rates for Medicare hospital inpatient services for operating costs and capital-related costs. We also are setting forth proposed rate-of-increase limits for certain hospitals and hospital units excluded from the IPPS that are paid in full or in part on a reasonable cost basis subject to these limits or that have a portion of a prospective payment system payment based on reasonable cost principles. These proposed changes would be applicable to discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2007.
In this proposed rule, we discuss our proposals to further refine the diagnosis-related group (DRG) system under the IPPS to better recognize severity of illness among patients--for FY 2008, we are proposing to adopt a Medicare Severity DRG (MS-DRG) classification system for the IPPS. We are also proposing to use the structure of the proposed MS-DRG system for the LTCH prospective payment system (referred to as MS-LTC-DRGs) for FY 2008.
Among the other policy changes that we are proposing to make are changes related to: limited revisions of the reclassification of cases to proposed MS-DRGs, the proposed relative weights for the proposed MS-LTC-DRGs; the wage data, including the occupational mix data, used to compute the wage index; applications for new technologies and medical services add-on payments; payments to hospitals for the indirect costs of graduate medical education; submission of hospital quality data; provisions governing application of sanctions relating to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 (EMTALA); provisions governing disclosure of physician ownership in hospitals and patient safety measures; and provisions relating to services furnished to beneficiaries in custody of penal authorities.
2. Correction Notice CMS-1533-CN
Title: Medicare Program; Proposed Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates; Correction
Publication Date: 06/07/2007
Description: This document corrects technical errors that appeared in the proposed rule entitled ''Medicare Program; Proposed Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates'' that appeared in the May 3, 2007
3. Final Rule CMS-1533-FC
Title: Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates
Publication Date: 08/22/2007
Description: We are revising the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital related costs to implement changes arising from our continuing experience with these systems, and to implement certain provisions made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109 "171), the Medicare Improvements and Extension Act under Division B, Title I of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109 "432), and the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (Pub. L. 109 "417). In addition, in the Addendum to this final rule with comment period, we describe the changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the rates for Medicare hospital inpatient services for operating costs and capital-related costs. We also are setting forth the rate of increase limits for certain hospitals and hospital units excluded from the IPPS that are paid on a reasonable cost basis subject to these limits, or that have a portion of a prospective payment system payment based on reasonable cost principles. These changes are applicable to discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2007.
In this final rule with comment period, as part of our efforts to further refine the diagnosis related group (DRG) system under the IPPS to better recognize severity of illness among patients, for FY 2008, we are adopting a Medicare Severity DRG (MS DRG) classification system for the IPPS. We are also adopting the structure of the MS "DRG system for the LTCH prospective payment system (referred to as MS "LTC "DRGs) for FY 2008.
Among the other policy decisions and changes that we are making, we are making changes related to: limited revisions of the reclassification of cases to MS "DRGs, the relative weights for the MS "LTC "DRGs; applications for new technologies and medical services add addon payments; the wage data, including the occupational mix data, used to compute the FY 2008 wage indices; payments to hospitals for the indirect costs of graduate medical education; submission of hospital quality data; provisions governing the application of sanctions relating to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 (EMTALA); provisions governing the disclosure of physician ownership in hospitals and patient safety measures; and provisions relating to services furnished to beneficiaries in custody of penal authorities.
4. Correction Notice CMS-1533-CN2
Title: Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates; Correction
Publication Date: 10/10/2007
Description: This document corrects technical errors that appeared in the final rule with comment period entitled ''Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates'' that appeared in the August 22, 2007 Federal Register.
5. Correction Notice CMS-1533-CN3
Title: Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates; Correction
Publication Date: 11/06/2007
Description: This document corrects wage index, case-mix index, and geographic adjustment factor errors in the final rule with comment period that appeared in the August 22, 2007 Federal Register entitled "Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates Final Rule; and the correction notice that appeared in the October 10, 2007 Federal Register entitled "Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2008 Rates; Correction".
6. Update (Second) to the August Final Rule; CMS-1533-F2
Pages: 66886-66898
Title: Medicare Program: Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and CY 2008 Payment Rates, the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System and CY 2008 Payment Rates, the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and FY 2008 Payment Rates; and Payments for Graduate Medical Education for Affiliated Teaching Hospitals in Certain Emergency Situations Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Hospital Conditions of Participation; Necessary Provider Designations of Critical Access Hospitals
Publication Date: 11/27/2007
Description: This final rule with comment period revises the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system to implement applicable statutory requirements and changes arising from our continuing experience with this system. We describe the changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the payment rates for Medicare hospital outpatient services paid under the prospective payment system. These changes are applicable to services furnished on or after January 1, 2008. In addition, the rule sets forth the applicable relative payment weights and amounts for services furnished in ASCs, specific HCPCS codes to which the final policies of the ASC payment system apply, and other pertinent rate setting information for the CY 2008 ASC payment system. Furthermore, this final rule with comment period will make changes to the policies relating to the necessary provider designations of critical access hospitals and changes to several of the current conditions of participation requirements.
The attached document also incorporates the changes to the FY 2008 hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) payment rates made as a result of the enactment of the TMA, Abstinence Education, and QI Programs Extension Act of 2007, Public Law 110-90. In addition, we are changing the provisions in our previously issued FY 2008 IPPS final rule and are establishing a new policy, retroactive to October 1, 2007, of not applying the documentation and coding adjustment to the FY 2008 hospital-specific rates for Medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals (MDHs) and sole community hospitals (SCHs). In the interim final rule with comment period in this document, we are modifying our regulations relating to graduate medical education (GME) payments made to teaching hospitals that have Medicare affiliation agreements for certain emergency situations.