title: Exceptions process becoming the norm for PPS-excluded providers.
abstract: The worsening financial condition of providers exempt from Medicare's prospective pricing system (PPS) is driving more of those hospitals to seek exceptions from their payment limits. A major problem inherent in the current pricing system for PPS-excluded providers is its original intent as a temporary solution, policy experts say. The AHA has warned HCFA that "major structural changes in the health care delivery system" are imperiling the survival of a good number of PPS-exempt hospitals. Or, in the words of the CEO of a PPS-exempt Philadelphia rehabilitation hospital, "We are all on a collision course with disaster, and some of us have already arrived."
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burke
mesh_terms: D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital / Q000639:trends*; D007250:Inflation, Economic; D006278:Medicare / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011907:Rate Setting and Review / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013659:Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act; D014481:United States