MEDICARE ARCHIVES

NEWS ARCHIVES

2/04/2008:: President Bush today released a FFY 2009 budget proposal that includes $182 billion in Medicare reductions and $17.4 billion in Medicaid reductions over 5 years. These cutbacks would fall on top of a continued freeze in Medicaid reimbursement at the state level, creating dangerous shortfalls in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement to hospitals. A review of the proposal is available to OHA members. OHA members can also contact Berna Bell for hospital-specific analyses.

01/07/2008:: 2008 Medicare physician fee schedule has been posted to the CMS Web page. The Ohio schedule is on page 25 of the PFS Carrier Specific Files. Congress authorized a .05% payment increase, through the end of June.

12/18/2007:: The U.S. Senate passes the Medicare, Medicaid and S-CHIP Extension Act of 2007. Highlights include a 0.5% Medicare payment update for physicians through June 2008, extension of S-CHIP funding at current levels through March 2009 and no PPS payment cuts for hospitals. Both the House and the President are expected to support the measure.  Additional details.

12/18/2007:: CMS releases facts sheets on Medicare inpatient hospital PPS Hospital-Acquired Conditions and Present-on-Admission Indicators, including lists of affected hospitals and conditions, an implementation timeline and coding requirements.

11/27/2007:: CY 2008 Medicare interim final rule on Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System published in Federal Register. Summary available to OHA members only.

11/26/2007:: CMS releases timetable for development of the FFY 2009 Medicare Prospective Payment System hospital area wage index.