Medicare freezes hospital payment rates
Medicare freezes hospital payment rates
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala announced a new regulation that freezes Medicare payment rates to hospitals beginning Oct. 1, the start of the federal fiscal year. The new regulation comes under the Balanced Budget Act, signed into law by President Clinton Aug. 5.
Under the old law, Medicare’s hospital payment rates would have increased 2.7% in FY 1998.
The freeze affects 5,200 acute care hospitals and 3,400 nonacute care psychiatric, rehabilitation, long term, cancer, and children’s hospitals participating in Medicare. As a result, Medicare payments are projected to decline to $85.7 billion in FY 1998 from $85.8 billion this fiscal year.
Payment rates are expected to increase in FY 1999, however, at a rate 1.9 %less than the inflation rate on hospital goods and services, or roughly 0.8 %.
The new rule makes changes in Medicare payments for hospital capital costs, physician education, and assistance to hospital that serve large numbers of low income patients.
The Fall Symposium of the Medical Informatic Association is set for Oct. 25-29 in Nashville, TN. Call (301) 657-1291 for further information.
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) will host "Introduction to Healthcare Information and Management Systems" Oct. 27-29 in Atlanta. Co-sponsored with the Georgia Chapter of HIMSS. For more information call (312) 664-4467.
The National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC-Fall 97) and Information & Technology Solutions Conference will take place Nov. 3-6 in Los Angeles. For further information call (617) 663-6000.
The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) will offer a workshop, "How to Detect and Avoid Fraud with an Effective Compliance Program," in Hilton Head, SC, Oct. 29-30 and in Denver on Dec. 10-11. For more information call (708) 531-9600.
The Computer-based Patient Record Institute (CPRI) "Terminology Conference" will be held Nov. 12-14 in Arlington, VA. Call (847) 706-6746 for information.
The Center for Health Care Information Management (CHIM) will sponsor the "Internet Technologies in Health" conference Nov. 19-21 in Scottsdale, AZ. For more information call (313) 973-6116.
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