Medicare Program; Temporary Exception for Certain Severe Wound Discharges From Certain Long-Term Care Hospitals Required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016; Modification of Limitations on Redesignation by the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board. Interim final rule with comment period.

This interim final rule with comment period (IFC) implements section 231 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (CAA), which provides for a temporary exception for certain wound care discharges from the application of the site neutral payment rate under the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for certain long-term care hospitals. This IFC also amends our current regulations to allow hospitals nationwide to reclassify based on their acquired rural status, effective with reclassifications beginning with fiscal year (FY) 2018. Hospitals with an existing Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board (MGCRB) reclassification would also have the opportunity to seek rural reclassification for IPPS payment and other purposes and keep their existing MGCRB reclassification. We would also apply the policy in this IFC when deciding timely appeals before the Administrator under our regulations for FY 2017 that were denied by the MGCRB due to existing regulations, which do not permit simultaneous rural reclassification for IPPS payment and other purposes and MGCRB reclassification. These regulatory changes implement the decisions in Geisinger Community Medical Center v. Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services, 794 F.3d 383 (3d Cir. 2015) and Lawrence + Memorial Hospital v. Burwell, No. 15-164, 2016 WL 423702 (2d Cir. Feb. 4, 2015) in a nationally consistent manner.