Health Care Financing Administration

Medicare Program--Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 1998 Rates Gao ID: OGC-97-62 September 17, 1997

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) new rule on the changes to Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems. GAO noted that: (1) the rule would revise the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems for operating costs and capital-related costs to implement necessary changes resulting from the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, P.L. 105-33, and changes arising from HCFA's continuing experience with the system; (2) because of the recent enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 on August 5, 1997, the changes mandated by the act were not included in the notice of proposed rulemaking and, therefore, were not available for public comment; (3) HCFA has issued this final rule with a comment period on those changes so the public may submit comments until October 28, 1997; and (4) HCFA complied with applicable requirements in promulgating the rule.



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