The regulatory terrain will be getting more treacherous for long-term care hospitals-within-hospitals if the HHS Office of Inspector General gets its way.
An Aug. 11 inspection report, "Long Term Care Hospitals-Within-Hospitals" (OEI-01-02-00630), found that 19 of 87 HwHs exceeded the annual 5 percent threshold for readmissions from their host hospitals between 2000 and 2002. Many of these readmissions involved high cost diagnosis-related groups, according to the OIG.
"As Medicare's prospective payment system for long-term care hospitals is fully implemented, paying HwHs that are over the 5-percent readmission level could result in increased costs to the Medicare program," the report reads.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says it is moving forward with programs to address the OIG's concerns. What this could mean for long-term care hospitals:
The OIG says no such mechanisms are currently in place. To read the report, go to