Inpatient Payment Proposal In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
ICD payments refined: CMS proposes to distinguish between procedures for implantable cardioverter defibrillator leads and ICD pulse generators in fiscal year 2009 with new Medicare severity diagnosis-related groups (MS-DRGs). Although the average length of hospital stay related to both types of procedures is similar, charges for cases of implantation or replacement of defibrillator leads average $42,896, while those for implantation or replacement of pulse generators average $72,866, according to a CMS analysis in its proposed hospital inpatient 1payment rule, released April 14. The proposed split in payment classifications was manufacturer-requested, CMS notes