1. Proposed Rule CMS-1470-P
Title: Medicare Program; Proposed Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2004 Rates; Proposed Rule
Publication Date: 05/19/2003
Description: We are proposing to revise the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital costs to implement changes arising from our continuing experience with these systems. In addition, in the Addendum to this proposed rule, we are describing proposed changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the rates for Medicare hospital inpatient services for operating costs and capital-related costs. These changes would be applicable to discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2003. We also are setting forth proposed rate-of-increase limits as well as proposed policy changes for hospitals and hospital units excluded from the IPPS.
Among other changes that we are proposing are changes to the policies governing postacute care transfers, payments to hospitals for the direct and indirect costs of graduate medical education, determination of hospital beds and patient days for payment adjustment purposes, and payments to critical access hospitals (CAHs).
2. Final Rule CMS-1470-F
Title: Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2004 Rates; Final Rule
Publication Date: 08/01/2003
Description: We are revising the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital costs to implement changes arising from our continuing experience with these systems. In addition, in the Addendum to this final rule, we are describing changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the rates for Medicare hospital inpatient services for operating costs and capital-related costs. These changes are applicable to discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2003. We also are setting forth rate-of-increase limits as well as policy changes for hospitals and hospital units excluded from the IPPS that are paid on a cost basis subject to these limits.
Among other changes that we are making are: changes to the classification of cases to the diagnosis-related groups (DRGS); changes to the long-term care (LTC)-DRGs and relative weights; the introduction of updated wage data used to compute the wage index; the approval of new technologies for add-on payments; changes to the policies governing postacute care transfers; payments to hospitals for the direct and indirect costs of graduate medical education; pass-through payments for nursing and allied health education programs; determination of hospital beds and patient days for payment adjustment purposes; and payments to critical access hospitals (CAHs).
3. Correction Notice CMS-1470-CN
Title: Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2004 Rates; Correction
Publication Date: 10/06/2003
Description: This document corrects technical errors that appeared in the final rule published in the Federal Register on August 1, 2003 entitled ''Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2004 Rates.'' These corrections include "(1) An error in the assignment of procedures to diagnosis-related group (DRG) 525, Heart Assist System Implant; (2) a technical error in the new technology add-on payment amount for InFUSE Bone Graft/LT "CAGE Lumbar Tapered Fusion Device (InFUSE TM); and (3) technical errors in the wage index values and geographic reclassifications. As a result of the wage index and geographic reclassification corrections, we have recalculated the budget neutrality factors applicable to the operating national average standardized amounts and the capital Federal rate, which resulted in changes to the standardized amounts themselves.
4. One Time Notification with Corrections to the October 6, 2003 Correction Notice
Publication Date: 10/31/2003
5. One Time Notification in Response to the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Public Law 108-173)
Publication Date: 03/26/2004