FY18 Proposed Changes to the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System

On April 14, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the FY 2018 proposed rule for the long-term care hospital prospective payment system (LTCH PPS). The proposed rule is published in the April 28, 2017, Federal Register. Written or electronic comments on the proposal must be submitted to CMS by close of business June 13, 2017. A final rule will be published around August 1, 2017, with the rates and policy changes generally taking effect on October 1, 2017. This document summarizes the proposed changes to the LTCH PPS, and includes information on payment rate updates, changes to the short-stay outlier adjustment policy, Medicare classification changes for certain hospitals, and information on the Long-Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Program (LTCH QRP).