From the release:
Payments to Medicare participating hospices are estimated to decrease by approximately 1.1 percent in FY 2010. The decrease in the hospice payments is the net result of a 3.2 percent reduction in payments due to the phase-out of a temporary adjustment used in calculating the wage index, partially offset by an estimated 2.1 percent increase in the hospital market basket indicator of costs.
The elimination of this adjustment with a 2-year phase-out would result in more accurate payments and saves Medicare $2.9 billion over five years. The proposed phase-out would include a 75 percent reduction for FY 2010 and ultimately eliminate it in FY 2011. As such, hospice expenditures are estimated to be about $13 billion in 2010 for more than 3,000 for-profit and not-for-profit hospices across the country.
This proposed rule also solicits comments on a number of potential policy changes for the future. In order to increase accountability in the recertification process, the rule seeks comment on requiring a physician or nurse practitioner to visit every hospice patient after 180 days on the benefit, and every benefit period thereafter.
This proposed rule also solicits comments on broader payment reform, such as alternate methods to calculate the hospice aggregate cap.
This proposed rule will be published at the Federal Register on April 24, 2009. Comments are due 60 days after publication by June 22, 2009. A link to the proposed rule and accompanying documents will be available at: http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-09417_PI.pdf
