Reimbursement

The rate released by CMS on Monday, does not account for inflation or hospitals' labor costs, say stakeholders.

The Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule is expected to increase hospital payments by $1.6B.  

This week's top stories include providers aiming to extend the public health emergency that ushered in waivers and flexibilities during the pandemic, and clinicians at DOD, Coast Guard and VA sites could not update medical information for hours.

The agency says it intends to issue proposed rules on minimum staffing level requirements within one year.

The progress is slow and there are still problem areas, such as discharges, patient days and length of stay.

The current public health emergency ends on April 16, but HHS has promised providers 60 days notice.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology has long expressed concerns about the model's reimbursement structure.

The interpretation of affordability would take effect beginning January 1, 2023, in time for the next open enrollment period.

This is larger than the 7.98% increase proposed in the February advance notice.

Starting April 5, HHS will no longer adjudicate claims submitted for vaccine administration due to a lack of funds.