Open Door Forum on Final IPPS Rule Tomorrow at 1:00

Tomorrow from 1:00-2:00 pm Eastern Time, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold a third open door forum (ODF) to discuss the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS)/Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Final Rule (CMS-1599-F).

On August 2, 2013, CMS issued the FY 2014 IPPS/LTCH Final Rule (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 short-stay 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. CMS also posted subregulatory instructions and frequently asked questions, relating to the claim selection process and preliminary review guidelines, for conducting patient status reviews of claims with dates of admission beginning in October 2013.

Questions on the two midnight provision for admission and medical review may be sent to CMS before the ODF begins via email 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 ODF, the participant dial-in number is 1-866-501-5502, and the conference ID number is 98515298. For more information, please visit the ODF website. If you have any questions regarding the final rule or questions about the Medicare appeals process, please contact an experienced healthcare attorney at Wachler & Associates at 248-544-0888 or wapc@wachler.com.