CMS PROPOSES TO EXPAND QUALITY PROGRAM FOR HOSPITAL INPATIENT SERVICES IN FY 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today proposed additional steps to strengthen the tie between the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries and payment for the services provided when they are in the hospital.

CMS is proposing to expand the list of conditions which are reasonably preventable through proper care and for which Medicare will no longer pay at a higher rate if the patient acquires them during a hospital stay. In addition, CMS is adding 43 new quality measures for which hospitals will have to report data in order to receive the full annual payment update for their services.

“CMS is taking aggressive actions to ensure that beneficiaries get safe, high quality, and efficient care from their health care providers, and the actions we are announcing today build on our efforts,” said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems. “The status of the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund requires us to find the best solutions to ensure that Medicare stays strong while paying providers appropriately for the care they deliver. The reforms we are proposing in this rule should lead to greater value for Medicare beneficiaries and the Medicare program.”

The proposed regulation builds on efforts across Medicare to transform the program to a prudent purchaser of health care services, paying based on quality of care, not just quantity of services. CMS is also making hospital quality and cost information available to help consumers make more informed choices. On March 28, CMS posted updated pricing and quality information at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, along with the results of surveys of patients about their experience with the care they received while in the hospital.

The proposed rule would apply to services provided to patients who are discharged from the hospital during fiscal year (FY) 2009, which begins on October 1, 2008.

Full Excerpt: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=3041&intNumPerPage=10&checkDate=&checkKey=&srchType=1&numDays=3500&srchOpt=0&srchData=&srchOpt=0&srchData=&keywordType=All&chkNewsType=1%2C+2%2C+3%2C+4%2C+5&intPage=&showAll=&pYear=&year=&desc=&cboOrder=date

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