Company: UHS
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-027785
Chunk: 334

Company: UNIVERSAL HEALTH SERVICES INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 7
Chunk 334
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 FFY 2023.

Hospital Acquired Conditions

The Legislation prohibits the use of federal funds under the Medicaid program to reimburse providers for medical assistance provided to treat hospital acquired conditions (“HAC”). Beginning in FFY 2015, hospitals that fall into the top 25% of national risk-adjusted HAC rates for all hospitals in the previous year will receive a 1% reduction in their total Medicare payments. As part of the FFY 2023 final rule discussed above, and as a result of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, CMS suppressed all nine measures in the HAC Reduction Program for the FY 2023 program year and eliminated the HAC reduction program’s one percent payment penalty. In FFY 2024, as part of the FFY 2024 IPPS final rule, CMS eliminated the suppression of the applicable HAC measures and as a result reinstated the HAC reduction program.

Readmission Reduction Program

In the Legislation, Congress also mandated implementation of the hospital readmission reduction program (“HRRP”). Hospitals with excessive readmissions for conditions designated by HHS will receive reduced payments for all inpatient discharges, not just discharges relating to the conditions subject to the excessive readmission standard. The HRRP currently assesses penalties on hospitals having excess readmission rates for heart failure, myocardial infarction, pneumonia, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ("COPD") and elective total hip arthroplasty ("THA") and/or total knee arthroplasty ("TKA"), excluding planned readmissions, when compared to expected rates. In the fiscal year 2015 IPPS final rule, CMS added readmissions for coronary artery bypass graft ("CABG") surgical procedures beginning in fiscal year 2017. To account for excess readmissions, an applicable hospital's base operating DRG payment amount is adjusted for each discharge occurring during the fiscal year. Readmissions payment adjustment factors can be no more than a 3% reduction. As part of the FFY 2023 IPPS final rule discussed above, CMS modified all of the condition-specific readmission measures to include an adjustment for patient history of COVID-19 for FFY 2024.

Accountable Care Organizations

The Legislation requires HHS to establish a Medicare Shared Savings Program that promotes accountability and coordination of care through the creation of accountable care organizations (“ACOs”). The ACO program allows providers (including hospitals), physicians and other designated professionals and suppliers to voluntarily work together to invest in infrastructure and redesign delivery