MORE THAN 200 LAWMAKERS URGE CMS TO SLOW IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSED PAYMENT RULE

Lawmakers are urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to delay implementation of proposed changes to the Medicare inpatient prospective payment system that were issued April 12.

In letters to CMS Administrator Mark McClellan dated July 12 and 13, 53 U.S. senators and 189 House members requested a delay in the changes until fiscal 2008 "to work with stakeholders in addressing any underlying methodological issues" and allow hospitals the time to adjust their operational systems.

The 60-day comment period does not provide enough time to "analyze potential improvements" to the proposal, and "stakeholders have reported that some of the information needed to evaluate the proposed rule was not readily available from CMS," the lawmakers said.