Tag: : CMS Updates

FY 2026 IPPS Proposed Rule

IPPS Proposed Rule: Key Updates to HRRP, HAC, and VBP Programs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 IPPS Proposed Rule, which outlines significant updates to three key Medicare hospital quality initiatives: the Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), and the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program. These proposed changes, outlined in the IPPS […]
CMS Announces New Appeal Rights

CMS Announces New Appeal Rights

Appeal rights appear much narrower than many expected. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court issued an opinion on Barrows v. Becerra, a long-running class action lawsuit. Filed by a group of Medicare beneficiaries, the suit alleged they had to pay out of pocket for skilled nursing care—despite being hospitalized for over three days—because their […]
FY23 Final Rules for Hospice Providers, IPFs, IRFs

FY23 Final Rules for Hospice Providers, IPFs, IRFs

The final rules for fiscal year 2023 include a 3.8 percent payment increase for hospice providers, 2.5 percent increase for inpatient psychiatric facilities, and 3.2 percent boost for inpatient rehabilitation facilities. CMS has released final rules solidifying Medicare reimbursement rates for hospice providers, inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs), and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for fiscal year […]
5 Mid-Year Medicaid Expansion Updates

5 Mid-Year Medicaid Expansion Updates

Of the 12 states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs, four have taken legal, legislative, and/or budgetary actions this year with varying results. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has updated its state Medicaid expansion tracker, highlighting 2022 activity through July. The following summarizes activity in both expansion and non-expansion states. In January 2022, Georgia […]
CMS on establishing new policies for REH

CMS on establishing new policies for REH

It includes proposed enhanced payments for the additional costs of purchasing domestically made NIOSH-approved surgical N95 respirators. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing actions meant to advance health equity and improve access to care in rural communities by establishing policies for Rural Emergency Hospitals (REH) and providing for payment for certain behavioral […]