Medicare Moves to Hike Payments, Penalties for Hospitals in 2022

Medicare wants to pay acute care hospitals 2.3%—or nearly $10.8 billion—more for outpatient services next year, the Biden administration announced Monday.

The proposed rule (RIN 0938-AU43) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would also increase the penalty for hospitals that don’t comply with the hospital price transparency final rule.

The agency is proposing a minimum penalty of $300 a day for smaller hospitals with an inpatient count of 30 or fewer. And a “penalty of $10/bed/day for hospitals with a bed count greater than 30, not to exceed a maximum daily dollar amount of $5,500,” the proposal ...