[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 42, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 42CFR418.306]

[Page 790]
 
                         TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH
 
                             HUMAN SERVICES
 
PART 418--HOSPICE CARE--Table of Contents
 
                   Subpart G--Payment for Hospice Care
 
Sec. 418.306  Determination of payment rates.

    (a) Applicability. CMS establishes payment rates for each of the 
categories of hospice care described in Sec. 418.302(b). The rates are 
established using the methodology described in section 1814(i)(1)(C) of 
the Act.
    (b) Payment rates. The payment rates for routine home care and other 
services included in hospice care are as follows:
    (1) The following rates, which are 120 percent of the rates in 
effect on September 30, 1989, are effective January 1, 1990 through 
September 30, 1990 and October 21, 1990 through December 31, 1990:

Routine home care.............................................    $75.80
Continuous home care:
  Full rate for 24 hours......................................    442.40
  Hourly rate.................................................     18.43
Inpatient respite care........................................     78.40
General inpatient care........................................    337.20


    (2) Except for the period beginning October 21, 1990, through 
December 31, 1990, the payment rates for routine home care and other 
services included in hospice care for Federal fiscal years 1991, 1992, 
and 1993 and those that begin on or after October 1, 1997, are the 
payment rates in effect under this paragraph during the previous fiscal 
year increased by the market basket percentage increase as defined in 
section 1886(b)(3)(B)(iii) of the Act, otherwise applicable to 
discharges occurring in the fiscal year. The payment rates for the 
period beginning October 21, 1990, through December 31, 1990, are the 
same as those shown in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
    (3) For Federal fiscal years 1994 through 1997, the payment rate is 
the payment rate in effect during the previous fiscal year increased by 
a factor equal to the market basket percentage increase minus--
    (i) 2 percentage points in FY 1994;
    (ii) 1.5 percentage points in FYs 1995 and 1996; and
    (iii) 0.5 percentage points in FY 1997.
    (c) Adjustment for wage differences. CMS will issue annually, in the 
Federal Register, a hospice wage index based on the most current 
available CMS hospital wage data, including any changes to the 
definitions of Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The payment rates 
established by CMS are adjusted by the intermediary to reflect local 
differences in wages according to the revised wage index.
    (d) Federal Register notices. CMS publishes as a notice in the 
Federal Register any proposal to change the methodology for determining 
the payment rates.

[56 FR 26919, June 12, 1991, as amended at 59 FR 26960, May 25, 1994; 62 
FR 42882, Aug. 8, 1997]