WEEKLY UPDATE: 09/12/24
In response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed Medicare payment rates for hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services for CY 2025, which was released on July 10, 2024, the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) submitted a comment letter.
CHA’s comments emphasize to CMS that the proposed payment updates are insufficient to ensure proper payment for medical care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The updates do not keep pace with the unique inflationary environment that is driving expenses for and eroding the financial health of hospitals and would exacerbate these challenges. CHA urges CMS to consider the advancing healthcare market effect on hospitals and finalize an update that more appropriately meets the current needs of hospitals and health systems. CHA’s concerns align with those that CMS has received from hospitals across the country.
CHA wrote in support of the wage index provisions from the FY 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule adopted in the OPPS proposal, which would continue to permanently apply a 5% cap on any decrease to a hospital’s wage index from its wage index in the prior fiscal year, regardless of the circumstances causing the decline.
Additionally, CHA voiced appreciation for CMS’s shared focus on maternal health. The maternal health proposals outlined in the updates align with ongoing work in Connecticut to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities in care. In its comments, however, in order to avoid duplication of reporting and effort, CHA encouraged CMS to consider alternative approaches for hospitals to satisfy the requirements proposed in the rule.
Click here to read CHA’s comment letter.
