Hospice wage index for 2009 proposed
Hospice wage index for 2009 proposed
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the Medi-are hospice wage index for FY 2009.
The proposed rule would phase out over three years a payment adjustment that was added in 1997 to minimize disruption in beneficiary access to hospice services. Proposed changes will phase out this adjustment by 25% in FY 2009, 50% in FY 2010, and 25% in FY 2011. This will reduce projected hospice payments by $2.29 billion over five years. Combined with an estimated hospice market basket increase of 3%, the changes in the rule would result in an average net update of 1.9% in FY 2009.
CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule through June 27. A final rule is expected by August. To see the proposed rule, go to www.cms.hhs.gov, select "regulations and guidance" from the home page, scroll down to "browse by provider type" and choose "hospice center." The link to download the rule "CMS-1548-P" is located under "spotlights."
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the Medi-are hospice wage index for FY 2009.Subscribe Now for Access
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