Quality measures, such as the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, and the Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, form the basis of the 2015 IPPS final rule, released August 4.
CMS' fiscal year 2015 IPPS final rule focuses on quality initiatives mandated by the Affordable Care Act, including updates to the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, and the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. This quality focus creates a need for increased interdisciplinary collaboration across quality, HIM, risk management, revenue cycle, compliance, and technology.
There's bad news for case managers that were hoping that the 2-midnight rule would go away. It's not?at least not in fiscal year (FY) 2015. In the 2015 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule published August 22, CMS said while it may be willing to look into adjusting the payment methodology for the 2-midnight rule, the rule itself will stand.
Changes may be afoot for the 2-midnight rule. CMS' 2015 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule seeks opinions about an alternate payment for short hospital stays.
