Summary

GAO reviewed the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) new rule on changes to several prospective payment systems, disclosure of physician ownership in hospitals, physician referral rules, updates to certain inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS)-excluded hospitals, and collection of information regarding financial relationships between hospitals. GAO found that (1) the final rule revises the Medicare hospital IPPS to implement applicable statutory requirements and changes, updates the rate-of-increase limits for certain hospitals and hospital units excluded from IPPS, revises the patient classifications and relative weights used under long-term care hospital prospective payment system, contains policy changes relating to the requirements for furnishing hospital emergency services, and states policies relating to payments for Medicare graduate medical education; and (2) with the exception of the delay in effective date, CMS complied with the applicable requirements in promulgating the rule.