The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has proposed amendments to 1 TAC §354.1445, concerning Potentially Preventable Readmissions, and §354.1446, concerning Potentially Preventable Complications.
Rule amendments proposed will allow HHSC to shorten the lag time between the provision of confidential reports and the consequent reimbursement adjustment. This will permit HHSC to align rates with more current reporting data and will allow a hospital that improves its performance to more quickly reap the rewards. In addition, the proposed amendments include financial disincentives for any hospital that does not properly code "present on admission" conditions. Such misreporting could unfairly advantage some hospitals. Finally, the rule refines methodology previously used in PPR and PPC reports to more closely align with software specifications.
A public hearing is scheduled for July 23, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (central time) at the Brown-Heatly Building, Public Hearing Room, located at 4900 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin. The earliest possible date of adoption is August 3, 2014.
