Medicare program; reissuance of the wage index in the 1981 schedule of limits on hospital per diem inpatient general routine operating costs--HCFA. Proposed notice.
We are reissuing for public comment the change in the types of data that were used to calculate the wage index that was contained in the schedules of limits on hospital per diem inpatient general routine operating costs reimbursable under Medicare that were applicable to cost reporting periods beginning on or after July 1, 1981 and for cost reporting periods ending after September 30, 1981. The cost limits for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1982 are governed by the notice published in the Federal Register on September 30, 1982 (47 FR 43296) and August 30, 1983 (48 FR 39426) and are not affected by this reissuance. The wage index was originally issued as part of the schedule of limits published on June 30, 1981 (46 FR 33637) and September 30, 1981 (46 FR 48010) and is being reissued as the result of the April 29, 1983 decision of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the case of District of Columbia Hospital Association, et al. v Heckler, et al. (No. 82-2520 DDC). The District Court held that the 1981 schedule of hospital cost limits was invalid for failure to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act insofar as the schedule incorporated or was formulated by using a wage index that was calculated by excluding Federal government hospital wage data.
D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D006761:Hospitals; D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States