The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently reversed a district court ruling and upheld the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services site-neutrality payment cuts for off-campus outpatient hospital clinic visits....more
On December 16, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that its 2019 decision invalidating the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) site-neutral payment cuts does not automatically vacate...more
CMS’ 340B Rate Cut Continues to Dampen Hospital Outpatient Expansion Efforts - Hospitals hoping to benefit from favorable 340B drug pricing when acquiring independent physician practices for conversion to hospital...more
Despite a court ruling against its site-neutral policy in September 2019, in the Calendar Year (CY) 2020 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule, released on November 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare...more
On January 18, 2019, a group of nearly 40 hospitals filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia challenging CMS’s rate cut to evaluation and management (E/M) services furnished by excepted...more
CMS took another step in its campaign to impose "site neutrality" on hospital outpatient payments with its recently published final Medicare hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) rule for CY 2019. The final...more
On July 25, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed policy and payment updates affecting the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC)...more
The 21st Century Cures Act (the “Cures Act”) (Pub. L. No. 114-255), which was signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2016, includes a number of important health care provisions, and several address the...more
In an August 26, 2016, letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Hospital Association (AHA) expressed serious concern over the portion of the calendar year 2017 hospital outpatient prospective...more
In early July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) reimbursement rule changes that will impact reimbursement payment amounts and requirements for...more
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed rule for the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System for 2017. CMS...more
As part of the CY 2017 proposed Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System rules (OPPS) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the long awaited proposed payment changes for items and services...more
On May 24, 2016, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation that would continue Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) payment for off-campus provider-based departments that were “mid-build”...more
Provider-based off-campus hospital outpatient departments (OC-HOD’s) established after November 1, 2015 will be subject to a new site-neutral payment limitation starting Jan. 1, 2017 as a result of provisions in the Balanced...more
On November 2, 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that significantly changes how Medicare pays for outpatient services furnished at certain hospital locations. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (“BBA”)...more
On October 30, 2015, CMS issued its final policy changes, quality provisions and payment rates for the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System for...more