HHS Issues Hospital Pay Bump, Lays Out Transparency Changes

The Trump administration will increase Medicare reimbursement for outpatient services at acute care hospitals by $8 billion in 2026, according to a final rule released Friday.

The rule (RIN 0938-AV51) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also includes a 2.6% reimbursement raise for ambulatory surgical centers, increasing Medicare payments to these facilities by $450 million.

Medicare payments for hospital outpatient services will total $101 billion next year, while Medicare payments to ambulatory surgical centers will total $9.2 billion.

The rule also includes new policies that aim to equalize payments for various services delivered in hospitals and ...