Hospitals might soon be getting a small pay raise from the U.S. government for treating Medicare patients.
In a proposed rule out late Friday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed increasing payments for acute care, which include short stays for non-chronic conditions such as severe injuries or brief illnesses, by 0.8 percent in fiscal 2014, or about $27 million.
Long-term care hospitals that treat patients after they're discharged from acute-care centers would see a 1.1 percent increase, estimated to come to $62 million.
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The agency said the rule "builds on the Obama administration's commitment to reduce the growth in health care costs while improving the quality of patient care."
The agency spelled out the proposal in 1,424 pages.
The rule also proposes to clarify admission and medical review criteria for hospital inpatient services. It includes CMS' proposals for implementation of an Affordable Care Act provision that changes the methodology for calculating payments to hospitals that serve a large proportion of low-income people.
It also lays out a new framework for a patient safety program, scheduled to launch in 2015. The program would promote safe habits by reducing payments to poorly performing hospitals by 1 percent and punish hospitals with patients who continually check back in for readmission.
"Dedicated professionals are working day and night in hospitals to provide the care that Medicare beneficiaries need," Marilyn Tavenner, the acting administrator of the agency that runs Medicare, said in a statement. "The new policies in this proposed rule support hospitals' important work and the people with Medicare who depend on them by promoting safety and care improvement."
The CMS is accepting comments to the proposal until June 25. A final rule is expected Aug. 1.
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