- CMS announced a final rule that will increase payments to skilled nursing facilities by 4 percent, or $1.4 billion, starting in fiscal year 2024. The payment bump will, in part, make up for a $2.2 billion underpayment to the facilities as a result of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) for skilled nursing facilities that replaced the former payment system in 2020. In its final rule, the agency says that it overestimated overpayments to nursing homes, and that resulted in a 2.23 percent reduction in fiscal year 2023. The final rule also includes modifications to quality reporting for skilling nursing facilities. Nursing homes that do not meet reporting requirements are subject to a 2-percentage-point payment penalty. (Articles here, here, and here)
- S. News and World Report released their latest “Best Hospital” rankings for the 34th consecutive year amid criticism from schools and public officials and recent changes to their rating system. The report ranks 484 regional hospitals, evaluating them on 30 medical and surgical services. Of those facilities, 22 hospitals were named to the national “Honor Roll.” This year, the outlet decided to scrap ordinal rankings in favor of an “Honor Roll” in no particular order. In June, the San Francisco city attorney’s office announced it was launching an investigation into U.S. News, alleging the outlet was fraught with bias, questionable methodology, and undisclosed financing. (Articles here and here)
August 1, 2023
Providers | Tea Leaves