CMS released the fiscal year (FY) 2020 IPPS final rule on August 2, increasing inpatient operating payment rates by 3.1%, significantly altering rural health payments, and expediting opportunities to pay for new technologies. Policy updates affect approximately 3,300 acute care hospitals and apply to discharges occurring on and after October 1.
CMS released the 2020 OPPS proposed rule July 29, proposing to refine previous policies related to price transparency and the 2-midnight rule, moving forward with year two of the site-neutral payment policy for clinic visits, while also asking for comments on how to potentially undo its policy that reduced payments for drugs purchased under the 340B drug discount program by nearly 30%.
In the transition to value-based care and pay-for-performance reimbursements, more providers are shifting care to outpatient settings. However, few HIM departments are prepared to optimize outpatient documentation and coding , which hinders the financial returns from this rapidly growing segment...