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CMS recently announced updates to its Hospital Compare website. CMS provides the Hospital Compare website to give patients, their families and other health care stakeholders information on the performance of hospitals participating in Medicare. CMS also provides a star rating for each hospital to assist patients in choosing a hospital for their care. CMS updated…

Hospitals and hospital systems in Connecticut must file annual reports by January 15, 2018 describing (1) the activities of their group practices (e.g., medical foundations or faculty practice plans), and (2) their respective affiliations with other hospitals or hospital systems.

Under Section 19a-486i of the Connecticut General Statutes, hospitals and hospital systems in Connecticut are obligated to file the separate reports in writing on an annual basis with the Connecticut Attorney General (AG) and Department of Public Health (DPH).  Previously, the reports had been due by December 31 each year, but legislation passed last fall to implement the state budget revised the deadline.  As a result, the current reporting deadline is January 15, 2018.  The respective reports are to be submitted via email to the AG and DPH simultaneously, as described in the links provided below.
Continue Reading REMINDER: Annual Reporting Deadline Approaches for Connecticut Hospitals and Hospital Systems

The Joint Commission (TJC) recently released new and revised pain assessment and management standards and elements of performance for its hospital accreditation program. These standards, effective January 1, 2018, follow an extensive review by TJC of current pain assessment and management guidelines compared with TJC’s standards.
Continue Reading The Joint Commission Releases Pain Assessment and Management Requirements

The OIG has released the 2017 Compendium of Unimplemented Recommendations, summarizing prioritized recommendations relating to HHS programs and operations.   Topping the list are recommendations relating to hospitals, including:

  • Reimbursement rates for critical access hospital swing beds should be adjusted to the lower rates for similar services provided in skilled nursing facilities.
  • Reimbursement rates for hospital outpatient department procedures should be adjusted to the lower rates for similar procedures conducted in ambulatory surgical centers.
  • Medicare should adopt a hospital transfer payment policy to lower hospital reimbursement for beneficiaries who are discharged early to hospice care.
  • CMS and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality should take steps to reduce harm to patients in rehabilitation hospitals.
  • CMS should increase protections for beneficiaries under the 2-midnight policy that applies to hospitals decisions about a beneficiary’s inpatient or outpatient admission status.
  • The disparity in beneficiary coinsurance for outpatient services received at a critical access hospital versus an acute-care hospital should be reduced.

Continue Reading OIG Publishes Prioritized Recommendations for HHS

On March 29, 2017, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission voted to decrease its annual health care cost growth benchmark from 3.6 percent to a 3.1 percent, effective in 2018. The benchmark applies to hospitals, certain physician groups and individual health insurers. The Commission also voted to finalize regulations to require those entities that fail to comply with the benchmark to file and follow performance improvement plans. Non-compliant entities will be subject to oversight by the Commission, during which they will be required to file monthly progress reports and demonstrate that they are taking steps to slow their cost growth. The regulations also authorize the Commission to assess civil penalties against non-compliant entities in certain circumstances, such as when an entity willfully neglects to file a required performance improvement plan.
Continue Reading Massachusetts’ Health Policy Commission Further Limits Health Care Cost Growth