As part of the annual update to Medicare Part A payments to skilled nursing facilities, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes significant changes to the civil money penalty (CMP) system for nursing homes. The Center for Medicare Advocacy will review the proposed rule in depth. An initial reaction is that the CMP process will become more complicated and the changes could lead to the imposition of lower total CMPs in facilities with the most serious deficiencies.
CMS proposes to increase Part A rates by 4.1% (nearly $200 million) despite the recommendation of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) in its March 2024 Medicare Payment Policy Report to the Congress to reduce base payment rates by 3%.
- The proposed rule, 89 Fed. Reg. 23424 (Apr. 3, 2024), is available here. Comments on CMS-1802-P are due by May 28, 2024.
April 4, 2024 – T. Edelman