On Monday, April 29, 2013, CMS released a proposed rule updating payment rates for hospices serving Medicare beneficiaries.  A copy of the fact sheet is available here and the 113-page proposed rule is available here.  The proposed rule will be published in the May 13th Federal Register.  Comments are due at the end of June.

Under the proposed rule, hospices would receive a 1.1 percent payment increase for fiscal year (FY) 2014.  The proposed rule also promulgates the ACA requirements that hospices that fail to meet certain quality standards will be subject to a two percent reduction in their reimbursement.

This proposed rule follows CMS’ Friday release of the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) – more information on that proposed rule is available here.  Stay tuned as DBR continues to provide updates as CMS releases its annual Medicare payment rules.