AHA comments on IPPS proposed rule for FY 2025 

The AHA submitted comments June 5 on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ inpatient prospective payment system proposed rule for fiscal year 2025, expressing support for several provisions, including certain policies supporting low-volume and Medicare-dependent hospitals, and several aspects of CMS’ quality-related proposals. However, AHA raised concerns about the rule's proposed payment updates. 
 
"In particular, we are deeply concerned about the inadequacy of the proposed net payment update of 2.6% given the unrelenting financial challenges faced by hospitals and health systems," AHA wrote. "As such, we strongly urge CMS to utilize its authority to make a one-time retrospective adjustment to account for what the agency missed in the FY 2022 market basket forecast." 
 
The AHA also expressed concerns about a lack of transparency on calculations for disproportionate share hospital payments, and disagreed with CMS' estimates of uninsured individuals for FY 2025. The AHA also urged CMS not to adopt its two newly proposed structural measures and not to increase the number of required electronic clinical quality measures.