Wachler & Associates Health Law BlogCMS Finalizes 2024 OPPS and ASC Payment Rates and Policies
On November 2, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule outlining the 2024 Medicare payment rates and policy updates for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) services. The CMS final rule represents an annual update to the Medicare payment system and includes updates to the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and ASC payment rates, implementation of regulations aimed to improve hospital price transparency, and expansion of behavioral health services through the establishment of new payments and policies.
For calendar year (CY) 2024, CMS finalized an increased payment rate of 3.1% for OPPS and ASC services. This update reflects a projected hospital market basket increase of 3.3%, reduced by 0.2% for the productivity adjustment. This rate has been criticized by many leaders in the healthcare industry as inadequate to meet the financial burdens faced by hospitals and ASCs. American Hospital Association (AHA) Executive Vice President Stacey Hughes released the following statement in response to the final rule: “The AHA is concerned that CMS has again finalized an inadequate update to hospital payments… Most hospitals across the country continue to operate on negative or very thin margins that make providing care and investing in their workforce very challenging day to day. Hospitals’ and health systems’ ability to continue caring for patients and providing essential services for their communities may be in jeopardy, which is why the AHA is urging Congress for additional support by the end of the year.”
The final rule also made changes to the CMS hospital price transparency requirements. All hospitals will now be required to display standard charge information through the use of a CMS template. The template is offered in various formats and requires hospitals to encode its standard charge information into the template. The rule also requires hospitals to place a “footer” at the bottom of their homepage linking users to the Hospital Price Transparency machine readable file (MRF). There will also be an affirmation statement requirement in which hospitals affirm they have made a good faith effort to ensure the MRF data is true, accurate, and complete.
CMS has also expanded access to behavioral health services with the rule by finalizing implementation of intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). The rule implements provisions of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act which creates a new benefit category of IOPs, intended to aid those suffering from mental health and substance use disorders. Payment and program requirements have been established for this benefit across multiple settings, including hospital outpatient departments, Community Mental Health Centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and Rural Health Clinics. There will also be extension of IOP coverage for those receiving services in Opioid Treatment Programs.
For over 35 years, Wachler & Associates has represented healthcare providers and suppliers nationwide in a variety of health law matters, and our attorneys can assist providers and suppliers in understanding new developments in healthcare law and regulation. If you or your healthcare entity has any questions pertaining to healthcare compliance, please contact an experienced healthcare attorney at 248-544-0888 or wapc@wachler.com.