Section 1813(b) of the Act prescribes the method for computing the amount of the inpatient hospital deductible. The inpatient hospital deductible is an amount equal to the inpatient hospital deductible for the preceding CY, adjusted by our best estimate of the payment-weighted average of the applicable percentage increases (as defined in section 1886(b)(3)(B) of the Act) used for updating the payment rates to hospitals for discharges in the fiscal year (FY) that begins on October 1 of the same preceding CY, and adjusted to reflect changes in real case-mix. The adjustment to reflect real case-mix is determined on the basis of the most recent case-mix data available. The amount determined under this formula is rounded to the nearest multiple of $4 (or, if midway between two multiples of $4, to the next higher multiple of $4).
I don’t know about you, but this sounds to me like one of those problems where you are trying to figure out the time the westbound train leaving Philadelphia at 55 miles per hour will intersect with the eastbound train that leaves Poughkeepsie going 62 miles an hour. I am not sure which part of the public can understand this verbiage enough to comment, but I don’t want to have to sit next to them at a cocktail party. Just think what Rap Genius could do for these people! The inpatient hospital deductible would make sense and hundreds of confused phone calls could be avoided.
Lisa Suennen – The Health Care Blog.
