The AAMC submitted Aug. 31 comments (PDF) in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) calendar year (CY) 2027 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule.
The AAMC strongly opposed the CMS’ proposal to reduce payment for 340B drugs and urged the agency to withdraw this unlawful proposal, which violates the Medicare statute and would devastate hospitals already facing financial pressures. The AAMC’s comments also urged the agency to increase the OPPS payment update for CY 2027 to reflect higher growth in cost inputs, including labor and supply costs, amid financial uncertainty. The payment update would be further eroded by a proposal to accelerate the 340B remedy recoupment policy. The AAMC again urged the CMS to not move forward with increasing the rate of recoupment and underscored that the 340B remedy does not need to be implemented in a budget-neutral way.
Similar to prior years, the association's comments urged the CMS not to move forward with proposed “site-neutral” policies and elimination of the inpatient only (IPO) list, and also encouraged the agency to conduct a more rigorous review of services rolling off the IPO list before adding them to the ambulatory surgical center covered procedures list. Lastly, the AAMC asked the CMS to implement new attestation and National Provider Identifier requirements for off-campus provider-based departments in a way that minimizes operational disruption and downstream impacts to patient care.
- Washington Highlights