Consumers First Comment Letter to CMS on FY2022 Inpatient Hospital Payment Rule on Equity and Price Transparency

Consumers First and supporting partners submitted a detailed comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation on its FY 2022 Inpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule. This rule makes annual updates to how most hospitals are paid for inpatient services through Medicare. The comment letter includes recommendations across four areas:

• Supports the repeal of a policy that would use private market rates as the basis for how Medicare pays hospitals for inpatient services.
• Opposes the repeal of a key price transparency regulation and increases efforts to require our health care system to report on the price and quality of health care services so that consumers, workers, and employers know the cost and quality before they receive care.
• Supports CMS’s proposal to implement a key component of the Consolidated Appropriations Act to allocate GME residency positions in Health Professional Shortage Areas.
• Provides feedback to CMS on their Request for Information (RFI) focused on closing the equity gap in hospital quality programs.