Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Hospitals:

MORE LIFE SUPPORT FOR RURAL HOSPITALS

New rule secures cash flow to rural hospitals, changes payments on certain drugs.

More than one thousand small rural hospitals and sole community hospitals are getting an extension on desperately needed reimbursement support. Special add-on payments for these facilities, designed to ensure that they're paid at least as much under the outpatient prospective payment system as they had been paid under the prior cost-based methodology, were set to expire in the new year. An interim final rule issued by CMS Dec. 31 will safeguard these payments for two additional years. The rule also modifies the way Medicare pays for radiopharmaceuticals and drugs and biologicals in the outpatient setting. To see the rule, go to: www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a040106c.html. Lesson learned: Small hospitals have been spared the anticipated cut-off - but they may still feel the pinch of decreased reimbursement on certain drugs.

 
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more

Other Articles in this issue of

Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

View All