This memorandum summarizes key changes to the acute-care hospital IPPS proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for FFY 2021. CMS issued a display copy of the proposed rule on May 11, 2020. The proposed rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on May 29. Comments are due by 5:00 pm Eastern on July 10, 2020. The tables and data files for the proposed FFY 2021 IPPS rule are available on the FFY 2021 Proposed Rule Home Page.
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS is waiving the requirement for a 60 day delay in the effective date of the rule and will allow a 30 day delay in the effective date of the rule. This means that CMS will not be publishing the final rule by August 1 and instead will publish it by September 1 at the latest with an October 1 effective date. As a practical matter, providers will have less time to adjust to any rules that are finalized.