CMS: Hospitals Must Prove COVID-19 Positive For 20% Medicare Pay Hike

Hospitals with Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with COVID-19 will only see a 20% hike in payment if they prove a positive diagnosis starting on Sept. 1, CMS said on Monday (Aug. 17) in a Medicare Learning Network memo. The pay increase comes from a provision in the CARES Act that directed HHS to hike pay for hospitals treating Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with COVID-19 and discharged from the hospital during the public health emergency. On Monday, CMS said, to address potential Medicare...