Families USA Comments on Proposed Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Regulation for Calendar Year 2025

Families USA submitted comments on the proposed Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) regulation for Calendar Year 2025.

Medicare payment policy establishes a standard often adopted by other payers, including commercial insurers and Medicaid. Changes made through the Hospital IPPS rule offer an important opportunity to both strengthen the Medicare program and to signal to other payers the need to realign the economic incentives of health care payment and delivery to reduce inequities and drive towards a higher value health care system. The policy recommendations in these comments would go a long way to catalyze the transformational change needed in our payment system to drive equitable, high-value care in health care markets throughout the U.S.

Our comments are focused on the following sections of the proposed rule:

• II.C.12(c)(1). Proposed Changes to the Severity Level Designation for Z Codes Inadequate Housing and Housing Instability
• IX.C. Requirements for and Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program
• X.A. Proposed Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM)
• X.C. Maternity Care Request for Information (RFI)
• X.D. Request for Information on Obstetrical Services Standards for Hospitals, CAHs, and REHs