U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), releases report regarding beneficiary copayments for services furnished by critical access hospitals (CAHs).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report on October 8, 2014 recommending changes to how beneficiary copayments for services furnished by critical access hospitals (CAHs) are calculated. Beneficiary copayments for outpatient services furnished by CAHs are based on a percentage of charges, as opposed to outpatient services furnished by non-CAHs, where copayments are based on a percentage of the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) fee schedule.
The report finds that beneficiaries paid nearly half of the costs for outpatient services at CAHs, and that for ten frequently provided outpatient services at CAHs, beneficiaries paid between two and six times the amount in coinsurance that they would have for such services at acute care hospitals. The Inspector General recommends changes that could affect payment to CAHs.
To view the report, please click here.
