Today, FAH submitted comments to CMS regarding the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems proposed rule. FAH’s letter made recommendations on several issues, including:

• Urging that CMS provide a forecast error adjustment to the CY 2025 OPPS market basket update to ensure that Medicare OPPS payments are sufficient to support access to care;
• Strongly supporting CMS’ proposal to keep the submission of the Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause Readmission and Hybrid Hospital-Wide All-Cause risk Standardized Mortality voluntary for the FY 2026 IPPS payment update; and
• Raising substantial concerns with CMS’ proposed conditions of participation regarding efforts to improve labor and delivery, prenatal, and post-partum care, which FAH believes will exacerbate the growing issue of “OB deserts”—especially in rural and underserved regions, further limiting access to essential obstetrical services and potentially increasing maternal morbidity and mortality.

Read the letter here.