CMS’s 2017 final OPPS rule adopts revised site-neutral payments

Description

Abstract: When the CMS released its preliminary draft of the Calendar Year 2017 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System policy changes, hospitals were alarmed over its proposed site-neutral payments. This article discusses the requirements of the final rule and its implications for hospital billing of outpatient services. The article concludes that the site-neutral payment provisions could make it difficult for hospitals with off-campus PBDs to recover related capital outlays and operational expenses. A sidebar discusses the final OPPS rule’s new measures that affect the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (Hospital OQR) Program.