2009-07-09

On July 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted its proposed rule governing payment policies and rates for the hospital outpatient payment system (OPPS) for CY 2010 on its website. Overall, CMS projects that proposed CY 2010 payment rates to the more than 4,000 hospitals that provide hospital outpatient services to Medicare beneficiaries under the OPPS will be $31.5 billion-a market basket update of 2.1 percent for hospital outpatient departments. Hospitals that do not successfully report the quality measures required under the Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program will receive an update in CY 2010 equal to the annual payment update factor minus 2.0 percentage points or 0.1 percent. The rule in its entirety can be found on the CMS Web site. ASH will be submitting comments on the proposed rule. For more information or if you have a concern you would like to include in ASH’s comments, please contact ASH Senior Manger, Policy and Practice Carol Schwartz, at 202-776-0544.