Medicare Moves to Bolster Hospital Payments by $3.2 Billion

Acute care hospitals would see a 2.6% increase of about $2.9 billion in Medicare reimbursements for inpatient care in fiscal 2025, under a proposed rule released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The proposed pay hike, and changes in operating and capital payment rates, should increase total hospital payments by about $3.2 billion, a CMS fact sheet said.

The standard payment rate to long-term care hospitals for inpatient care would increase 2.8% under the proposal (RIN 0938-AV34). These hospitals would also receive a 1.2%, or $26 million, increase in payments for certain discharges, the proposal said.

The ...