CMS Receives Comments on IPPS Policies

AAHKS Executive Director, Michael J. Zarski, JD, filed comments with the CMS on behalf of AAHKS regarding the Medicare hospital inpatient protective payment system (IPPS) policies and rates for fiscal year 2016. Among the many points addressed, AAHKS expressed concerns about the validity and appropriateness of two measures previously-adopted for the Hospital IQR Program and the Hospital Value Based Payment program: Hip/Knee Complication: Hospital-level Risk-Standardized Complication Rate (RSCR) following Elective Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (NQF 1550); and 30-day Risk Standardized Readmission following Total Hip/Total Knee Arthroplasty (NQF 1551). AAHKS also expressed support for inclusion of specific additional adjustments to the Hospital-Level, Risk-Standardized Payment Associated with an Episode-of-Care for Primary Elective THA/TKA measure for use in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program. Read the letter.