Specialty Hospital Reprieve?
CMS Plans to Lift Freeze on Medicare Numbers in August
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services don't intend to continue their freeze on issuing new provider numbers to specialty hospitals beyond August, says CMS administrator Mark McClellan, MD, PhD. He notes, however, that any new facilities will open under tighter financial disclosure rules. Dr. McClellan made the announcement at a Senate Finance Committee hearing last month after the release of his agency's interim report on the regulation of specialty hospitals and among criticism by committee members that the agency hasn't been aggressive enough in curbing the industry's growth.