Summary
CMS Proposes Inpatient Payment Rule for 2024
In this episode, we are joined by Alan Condon, Editor-in-Chief at Becker’s Healthcare, to discuss the latest updates in healthcare policy. CMS recently released its inpatient payment proposal for hospitals, which would result in a 2.8% increase in payments in 2024.
Opposition from the American Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association has responded to this proposal, stating that increasing payments by 2.8% is inadequate to help hospitals cope with their current financial challenges. The association is urging CMS to take a more comprehensive approach to address these issues.
CMS Seeks Input on Safety Net Hospitals and Rural Emergency Hospitals
In addition to the inpatient payment proposal, CMS is also seeking input on the challenges faced by safety net hospitals. The agency is proposing changes to graduate medical education payments for rural emergency hospitals as well.
Labor Pressures Easing Up for Hospitals
Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings has found that hospital payrolls and hourly earnings have slowed down over the last few months. This indicates that labor pressures may be easing up for hospitals.
Deadline for Comments on CMS Proposal
CMS will accept comments on their proposal until June 9th. The final rule is expected to be released in Q4 of this year.
Note: This is an AI generated transcript, not edited by a staff writer and is solely intended for educational purposes. If you have any questions/concerns, reach out to podcasts@beckershealthcare.com
This episode aired on 04/12/2023 and can be listened here.
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