Outlier Rule Still Pending;
Legislators Weigh In
February 28, 2003 - Initially scheduled to be published
in early February, the much-anticipated rule on Medicare outlier
payments is now to be published "any day" according
to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) officials.
The outlier rule will modify the outlier payment methodology
to address what CMS believes has been a "gaming"
of the outlier system which has led to larger than expected
outlier payments over the last several years [see Washington
Highlights, Dec. 6, 2002].
The delay is attributable largely to concerns about the impact
of the rule on hospitals currently receiving large amounts
of outlier payments. Originally to be published as an interim
final rule, in response to pressure from legislators and others,
the rule likely will be a proposed rule with a 30-day comment
period. Legislators in both the House and Senate had written
letters to CMS urging the Agency to proceed cautiously on
changes to the outlier policy.
Information:
Karen Fisher, Senior Associate Vice President
AAMC Health Care Affairs
kfisher@aamc.org
(202) 862-6140
Lynne Davis Boyle, Assistant Vice President
AAMC Office of Governmental Relations
ldavisboyle@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
Get Washington Highlights
in your Inbox!
| 
