Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Insurance Notices
Excerpts of the notice state:
The Medicare statute specifies the formulae used to determine these amounts. For CY 2018, the inpatient hospital deductible will be
DATES:
Effective Date: This notice is effective on
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 1813 of the Social Security Act (the Act) provides for an inpatient hospital deductible to be subtracted from the amount payable by Medicare for inpatient hospital services furnished to a beneficiary. It also provides for certain coinsurance amounts to be subtracted from the amounts payable by Medicare for inpatient hospital and extended care services. Section 1813(b)(2) of the Act requires the Secretary of the
II. Computing the Inpatient Hospital Deductible for CY 2018
Section 1813(b) of the Act prescribes the method for computing the amount of the inpatient hospital deductible. The inpatient hospital deductible is an amount equal to the inpatient hospital deductible for the preceding CY, adjusted by our best estimate of the payment-weighted average of the applicable percentage increases (as defined in section 1886(b)(3)(B) of the Act) used for updating the payment rates to hospitals for discharges in the fiscal year (FY) that begins on
Under section 1886(b)(3)(B)(i)(XX) of the Act, the percentage increase used to update the payment rates for FY 2018 for hospitals paid under the inpatient prospective payment system is the market basket percentage increase, otherwise known as the market basket update, reduced by 0.75 percentage points (see section 1886(b)(3)(B)(xii)(V) of the Act), and an adjustment based on changes in the economy-wide productivity (the multifactor productivity (MFP) adjustment) (see section 1886(b)(3)(B)(xi)(II) of the Act). Under section 1886(b)(3)(B)(viii) of the Act, for FY 2018, the applicable percentage increase for hospitals that do not submit quality data as specified by the Secretary is reduced by one quarter of the market basket update. We are estimating that after accounting for those hospitals receiving the lower market basket update in the payment-weighted average update, the calculated deductible will not be affected, since the majority of hospitals submit quality data and receive the full market basket update. Section 1886(b)(3)(B)(ix) of the Act requires that any hospital that is not a meaningful electronic health record (EHR) user (as defined in section 1886(n)(3) of the Act) will have three-quarters of the market basket update reduced by 100 percent for FY 2017 and each subsequent fiscal year. We are estimating that after accounting for these hospitals receiving the lower market basket update, the calculated deductible will not be affected, since the majority of hospitals are meaningful EHR users and are expected to receive the full market basket update.
Under section 1886 of the Act, the percentage increase used to update the Start Printed Page 55368payment rates for FY 2018 for hospitals excluded from the inpatient prospective payment system is as follows:
The percentage increase for long term care hospitals is 1 percent (see sections 1886(m)(3)(A) and 1886(m)(4)(F) of the Act). In addition, these hospitals may also be impacted by the quality reporting adjustments and the site-neutral payment rates (see sections 1886(m)(5) and 1886(m)(6) of the Act).
The percentage increase for inpatient rehabilitation facilities is 1 percent (see sections 1886(j)(
The percentage increase used to update the payment rate for inpatient psychiatric facilities is the market basket percentage increase reduced by 0.75 percentage points and the MFP adjustment (see sections 1886(s)(2)(A)(i), 1886(s)(2)(A)(ii), and 1886(s)(3)(E) of the Act). In addition, these hospitals may also be impacted by the quality reporting adjustments (see section 1886(s)(4) of the Act).
The percentage increase for other types of hospitals excluded from the inpatient hospital prospective payment system (cancer hospitals, children's hospitals, and hospitals located outside the 50 States, the
The Inpatient Prospective Payment System market basket percentage increase for FY 2018 is 2.7 percent and the MFP adjustment is 0.6 percentage point, as announced in the final rule that appeared in the
To develop the adjustment to reflect changes in real case-mix, we first calculated an average case-mix for each hospital that reflects the relative costliness of that hospital's mix of cases compared to those of other hospitals. We then computed the change in average case-mix for hospitals paid under the Medicare inpatient prospective payment system in FY 2017 compared to FY 2016. (We excluded from this calculation hospitals whose payments are not based on the inpatient prospective payment system because their payments are based on alternate prospective payment systems or reasonable costs.) We used Medicare bills from prospective payment hospitals that we received as of
Section 1813 of the Act requires that the inpatient hospital deductible be adjusted only by that portion of the case-mix change that is determined to be real. Real case-mix is that portion of case-mix that is due to changes in the mix of cases in the hospital and not due to coding optimization. We expect that all of the change in average case-mix for FY 2017 will be real and estimate that this change will be 0.4 percent.
Thus as stated above, the estimate of the payment-weighted average of the applicable percentage increases used for updating the payment rates is 1.35 percent, and the real case-mix adjustment factor for the deductible is 0.4 percent. Therefore, using the statutory formula as stated in section 1813(b) of the Act, we calculate the inpatient hospital deductible for services furnished in CY 2018 to be
III. Computing the
The coinsurance amounts provided for in section 1813 of the Act are defined as fixed percentages of the inpatient hospital deductible for services furnished in the same CY. The increase in the deductible generates increases in the coinsurance amounts. For inpatient hospital and extended care services furnished in CY 2018, in accordance with the fixed percentages defined in the law, the daily coinsurance for the 61st through 90th day of hospitalization in a benefit period will be
IV. Cost to Medicare Beneficiaries
The Table below summarizes the deductible and coinsurance amounts for CYs 2017 and 2018, as well as the number of each that is estimated to be paid.
The estimated total increase in costs to beneficiaries is about
V. Waiver of Proposed Notice and Comment Period
Section 1813(b)(2) of the Act requires publication of the inpatient hospital deductible and all coinsurance amounts--the hospital and extended care services coinsurance amounts--
To the extent that notice and comment rulemaking would otherwise apply, we find good cause to waive this requirement. Under the APA, we may waive notice and public procedure if we find good cause that prior notice and comment are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest. We find that the procedure for notice and comment is unnecessary here, because this document does not propose to make any substantive changes to the policies or methodologies, but simply applies the formulae used to calculate the inpatient hospital deductible and hospital and extended care services coinsurance amounts as statutorily directed and we can exercise no discretion in following the formulae. Moreover, the statute establishes the time period for which the deductible and coinsurance amounts will apply, so we also do not have any discretion in that regard. Therefore, we find good cause to waive notice and comment procedures, if such procedures are required at all.
VI. Collection of Information Requirements
This document does not impose information collection requirements, that is, reporting, recordkeeping or third-party disclosure requirements. Consequently, there is no need for review by the
VII. Regulatory Impact Analysis
A. Statement of Need
Section 1813(b)(2) of the Act requires the Secretary to publish,
B. Overall Impact
We have examined the impacts of this notice as required by Executive Order 12866 on Regulatory Planning and Review (
Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess all costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public health and safety effects, distributive impacts, and equity). Section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866 defines a "significant regulatory action" as an action that is likely to result in a rule: (1) Having an annual effect on the economy of
The RFA requires agencies to analyze options for regulatory relief of small entities, if a rule has a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. For purposes of the RFA, small entities include small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions. Most hospitals and most other providers and suppliers are small entities, either by nonprofit status or by having revenues of less than
In addition, section 1102(b) of the Act requires us to prepare a regulatory impact analysis if a rule may have a significant impact on the operations of a substantial number of small rural Start Printed Page 55370hospitals. This analysis must conform to the provisions of section 604 of the RFA. For purposes of section 1102(b) of the Act, we define a small rural hospital as a hospital that is located outside of a metropolitan statistical area and has fewer than 100 beds. As discussed above, we are not preparing an analysis for section 1102(b) of the Act because the Secretary has determined that this notice will not have a significant impact on the operations of a substantial number of small rural hospitals.
Section 202 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 also requires that agencies assess anticipated costs and benefits before issuing any rule whose mandates require spending in any 1 year of
Executive Order 13771, titled "Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs," was issued on
Executive Order 13132 establishes certain requirements that an agency must meet when it promulgates a proposed rule (and subsequent final rule) that imposes substantial direct requirement costs on state and local governments, preempts state law, or otherwise has Federalism implications. This notice will not have a substantial direct effect on state or local governments, preempt state law, or otherwise have Federalism implications.
Although this notice merely announces the Medicare Part A deductible and coinsurance amounts for CY 2018 and does not constitute a substantive rule, we nevertheless prepared this Impact Analysis in the interest of ensuring that the impacts of this notice are fully understood.
Dated:
Administrator,
Dated:
Acting Secretary,
[FR Doc. 2017-24913 Filed 11-17-17;
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