Southwest Consulting Associates Blog

We are now in the midst of Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2020 which began at the start of this month. A new Federal fiscal year brings with it new standardized rates that affect hospital discharges on or after October 1, 2019. Each year, CMS publishes updates to the regulations for inflation factors, wage adjustments, etc., which for the current FFY, can be found in the 2020 Inpatient Acute (IPPS) final rule on the CMS website. It is important to note that CMS published a correction notice on October 8, 2019, in which standardized rate values were revised and now differ from what was published in the August version of the final rule.

 

Topics: Industry Updates, regulations, final rule, ipps rule, provider reimbursement

Hospital providers from all over the country converged at this year’s Health Financial Systems User Meeting in hopes to hear updates on the latest issues affecting Medicare reimbursement. This year’s two-day meeting curated twenty-three different presentations ranging from Medicare cost report form changes to software reviews and Medicare information updates. We could write for days on all of the information we absorbed at this year’s assembly, but after reviewing our catalog of notes and identifying the recurring themes across presentations, we’ve compiled our top four takeaways we think hospital providers should be aware of to improve their reimbursement areas, their cost reports and maintain compliance with Medicare regulations. 

 

Topics: Industry Updates, cost reporting, Medicare Cost Report, provider reimbursement, Health Financial Systems

The 2020 Hospice Final Rule was published in the Federal Register August 6, 2019, and will affect hospital discharges on or after October 1, 2019. Each year, CMS publishes updates to the regulations for inflation factors, wage adjustments, etc. For FY 2020, CMS has updated the following Hospice rates which are contained in the final rule:

Topics: Industry Updates, regulations, final rule, hospice

The End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) 2020 proposed rule was published in the Federal Register August 6, 2019, and affects discharges on or after January 1, 2020. Each year, CMS publishes updates to the regulations for inflation factors, wage adjustments, etc., and for calendar year (CY) 2020, CMS has proposed the following updates to the End-Stage Renal Disease rates:

Topics: Industry Updates, proposed rule

As you will recall from the FY 2019 IPPS final rule-making cycle, CMS issued new requirements for supporting documentation that must be submitted along with the Medicare cost report.  While that final rule was posted a little over a year ago, hospitals will soon be in the midst of filing the first affected cost reports. The new Medicare cost report supporting documentation is required for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2018.

Topics: DSH Reimbursement, Medicare DSH Reimbursement, Industry Updates, S-10, regulations, final rule, worksheet s-10, Medicare Cost Report

The 2020 Inpatient Skilled Nursing Facility Final Rule was published in the Federal Register August 7, 2019. The rule can be found through the CMS website or you can view the Federal Register version here. This SNF rule affects discharges on or after October 1, 2019. 

Topics: Industry Updates, regulations, final rule, provider reimbursement, inpatient SNF

The 2020 Inpatient Rehab Final Rule was published in the Federal Register August 8, 2019, and will affect discharges on or after October 1, 2019. The 2020 Rehab (IRF) Final Rule can be viewed here.

 

Each year, CMS publishes updates to the regulations for inflation factors, wage adjustments, etc. and for FFY 2020, CMS has finalized the following updates to the Rehab rates:

 

 

Topics: Industry Updates, regulations, final rule, provider reimbursement, inpatient rehab

The FY 2020 Inpatient Psych Final Rule was put on display for public inspection on July 30, 2019, and was published in the Federal Register August 6, 2019. The FY 2020 Psych Final Rule can be viewed here. As a reminder, this IPF rule affects discharges on or after October 1, 2019.

Topics: Industry Updates, regulations, final rule, provider reimbursement, inpatient psych

The Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) FY 2020 proposed rule was put on display for public inspection on July 29, 2019 and published in the Federal Register on August 9, 2019. The 247-page FY 2020 OPPS proposed rule can be viewed in its entirety here. This proposed rule will affect discharges on or after January 1, 2020. 

Topics: Industry Updates, regulations, proposed rule, OPPS

The FY 2020 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule was put on display for public inspection on August 2, 2019, and is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on August 16, 2019.  The pre-publication version can be viewed HERE or on the FY 2020 IPPS Final Rule homepage.  These changes will go into effect October 1, 2019.  

Topics: Medicare DSH Reimbursement, Industry Updates, S-10, regulations, proposed rule, worksheet s-10, factor 3, uncompensated care payment, ipps rule, provider reimbursement