Inpatient payment increase not enough, AHA says

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' increase in the inpatient payment rate for 2023 is welcome but not enough to offset expenses, according to the American Hospital Association.

CMS set a 4.1% market basket update for 2023 in its final rule released Monday, calling it the highest in the last 25 years. The increase was due to the higher cost in compensation for hospital workers.

The final rule gave inpatient hospitals a 4.3% increase for 2023, as opposed to the 3.2% increase in April's proposed rule.

WHY THIS MATTERS

CMS used more recent data to calculate the market basket and disproportionate share hospital payments, a move that better reflects inflation and labor and supply cost pressures on hospitals, the AHA said.

"That said, this update still falls short of what hospitals and health systems need to continue to overcome the many challenges that threaten their ability to care for patients and provide essential services for their communities," said AHA Executive Vice President Stacey Hughes. "This includes the extraordinary inflationary expenses in the cost of caring hospitals are being forced to absorb, particularly related to supporting their workforce while experiencing severe staff shortages."

The AHA would continue to urge Congress to take action to support the hospital field, including by extending the low-volume adjustment and Medicare-dependent hospital programs, Hughes said.

In late July, Senate and House members urged CMS to increase the inpatient hospital payment.

Premier, which works with hospitals, also said the 4.3% payment update falls short of reflecting the rising labor costs that hospitals have experienced since the onset of the pandemic. 

"Coupled with record high inflation, this inadequate payment bump will only exacerbate the intense financial pressure on American hospitals," said Soumi Saha, senior vice president of Government Affairs for Premier.

THE LARGER TREND

Recent studies show hospitals remain financially challenged since the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on revenue and supply chain and labor expenses. Piled onto that has been inflation that has added to soaring expenses.

Hospital margins were up slightly from May to June, but are still significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to a Flash Report from Kaufman Hall.

The effects of the pandemic on the healthcare industry have been profound, resulting in the creation of new business models, according to a report from McKinsey.

Transformational change is necessary as hospitals have been hit hard by eroding margins due to cost inflation and expenses, Fitch found.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org