Healthcare industry analysis firm HCIA-Sachs has announced the release of new reports designed to help hospitals assess the financial impact of the ambulatory payment classifications (APCs) used in the U.S. government's new hospital outpatient prospective payment system (HOPPS) for Medicare, which took effect August 1.
The reports will help facilities determine the market share of services grouped by APCs, and highlight those areas most profoundly impacted by the new payment scheme. The reports also offer guidance on where new opportunities might be found. They can be used to help facilities identify both competitors and potential partners, the company said.
Evanston, IL-based HCIA-Sachs said the reports were based on data from more than 100 million Medicare encounters and more than 35,000 facilities throughout the U.S.
The new payment scheme is designed to cut hospital outpatient costs by reducing Medicare's technical reimbursement component for many radiology procedures by about 30%. It will also change Medicare's reimbursement methods for certain procedures and technologies.
For its part, the Health Care Financing Administration has posted several new guidance documents on the payment system on its Web site. Included are application deadlines for transitional pass-through and new technology items eligible for payment under HOPPS, and interest rate information for Medicare over- and underpayments. The documents are available at www.hcfa.gov/medlearn/refopps.htm.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
August 10, 2000
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