Today from 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern Time, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold a special follow-up Open Door Forum to discuss the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS)/Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Final Rule (CMS-1599-F) as well as the CMS guidance on physician order and certification. The effective date of the Final Rule is October 1, 2013.
On August 2, 2013, CMS issued the FY 2014 IPPS/LTCH Final Rule which finalized proposals related to patient status during short-stay hospital cases, including the new standards for inpatient admission and the medical review criteria for payment of hospital inpatient services under Medicare Part A. On September 5, 2013, CMS issued sub-regulatory guidance regarding the final rule’s requirements for hospital inpatient admission order and certification, which are conditions of payment under Medicare Part A. This sub-regulatory guidance was issued in part as a result of the significant confusion surrounding CMS’s requirements for inpatient admission orders and physician certifications of inpatient services.
Questions may be sent to CMS before the Open Door Forum begins via email. Questions regarding the two midnight provision for inpatient admission in the final rule can be sent to IPPSAdmissions@cms.hhs.gov. Questions on Part B inpatient billing and clarifications regarding physician order and certification can be sent to Section3133DSH@cms.hhs.gov.
To access the open door forum, the participant dial-in number is 1-800-837-1935, and the conference ID number is 68257949. For more information, please visit the open door forum website. If you have any questions regarding the Final Rule or questions about the Medicare appeal process, please contact an experienced healthcare attorney at Wachler & Associates at 248-544-0888.