Hospitals were struggling this summer to comply with the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility (NOTICE) Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama August 6, requiring hospitals to provide a verbal and written notice of outpatient status to any patient in observation who has been in the hospital for more than 24 hours.
Assigning the correct patient status is a constant challenge for hospitals and the case managers who are charged with ensuring these decisions are accurate.
CMS’ proposed changes to implement Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 would reshape payments for off-campus, provider-based departments (PBD) if finalized and represent the most significant changes in the calendar year (CY) 2017 OPPS proposed rule.
CMS released the 2017 OPPS proposed rule on July 5 without much fanfare. On July 14, the Federal Register version was posted, and upon initial review, it seems rather short at 186 pages.
The accurate capture of acute respiratory failure has been a long-standing challenge for CDI programs. The accurate reporting of this condition as a post-procedural event can be even more difficult.
CMS wants your thoughts on its 2017 OPPS proposed changes. In various places in the proposed rule, CMS specifically asks providers to comment on the proposals. You may submit comments to the agency until September 6, 2016.
