Current Report Articles
Federal and National News

News (Aug. 9, 2024) – CMS Releases Final FFY 2025 Medicare  Payment and Policy Updates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the federal fiscal year 2025 Medicare Inpatient and long-term care hospital prospective payment system final payment and policy updates. Highlights are as follows.

IPPS and Critical Access Hospitals

  • An increased market basket of 3.4 percent, reduced by a 0.5 percent productivity adjustment, for a net increase of 2.9 percent. CMS estimates payments will increase by $2.9 billion.
  • Revised labor market areas for wage index purposes and continuation of the low-wage index policy
  • Finalized separate IPPS payments for establishing and maintaining access to essential medicines
  • Distributed graduate medical education residency slots as prescribed under Section 4122 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act
  • Revised the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program
  • Updated the mandatory Medicare Pay for Performance Programs
  • Renewed and revised the hospital and CAH conditions of participation data reporting requirements for respiratory infections
  • Finalized the mandatory TEAM innovation program

LTCH PPS

  • An increased market basket of 3 percent. After accounting for high-cost outlier payment reductions, the payment rates are expected to increase by 2 percent or $45 million.
  • Revised the LTCH Quality Reporting Program

CMS Releases Final FFY 2025 Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS Payment and Policy Updates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facility final payment and policy updates for the federal fiscal year 2025. CMS finalized a net Medicare payment increase of 2.5 percent, or $65 million.

CMS Releases Final FFY 2025 Medicare Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility PPS Payment and Policy Updates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Medicare Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility final payment and policy updates for federal fiscal year 2025. CMS estimates Medicare payments to IRF PPS facilities will increase by $280 million. CMS finalized updates to the IRF Quality Reporting Program and revised wage index statistical area delineations.

CMS Releases Final FFY 2025 Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility PPS Payment and Policy Updates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility final payment and policy updates for the federal fiscal year 2025. CMS finalized a net Medicare payment increase of 4.2 percent, or $1.4 billion, that includes a 3 percent market basket increase, a 1.7 percent forecast error adjustment and a 0.5 percent productivity adjustment. CMS finalized revisions to the Patient-Driven Payment Model ICD-10 code mappings, revisions to the SNF Quality Reporting Program, and updates to the SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program.  

MLN Connects Provider eNews Available
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates to MLN Connects Provider eNews: