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CHA has issued two members-only summaries, prepared by Health Policy Alternatives, of the federal fiscal year 2024 hospice wage index and inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rules.
The IRF PPS summary details proposed updates to the Medicare IRF payments rates, wage index, and the quality reporting requirements. It also includes a proposal to rebase and revise the IRF market basket to reflect more recent data on IRF cost structures. It also details a modification to the excluded unit regulation that would allow a hospital to open a new IRF unit and start being paid under the IRF PPS at any time during the cost reporting period, provided certain requirements are met. The summary also includes proposed updates to the IRF quality reporting program, including two new measures: a modification to an existing measure and the removal of two measures.
The hospice wage index summary includes proposed updates to the Medicare hospice payment rates, wage index, cap amount, and quality reporting requirements. It also includes information on hospice utilization trends and a proposal that physicians who order or certify hospice services for Medicare beneficiaries must be enrolled in Medicare or validly opted out as a prerequisite for payment for the specific hospice period of care.
