How sick are we?

AGE distribution; DIAGNOSIS related groups; HOSPITALS; INTENSIVE care units; MEDICAL care costs; ABSTRACTING & indexing of medical records; HEALTH insurance reimbursement; COST analysis; CENTERS for Medicare & Medicaid Services (U.S.); GOVERNMENT regulation; SEVERITY of illness index

The article deals with the opposition of U.S. hospitals to the payment adjustment made by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in line with the Medicare severity-adjusted diagnosis-related groups (MS-DRGs), the coding system of Medicare for inpatient claims. The hospital inpatient rates set by CMS would result to less payments across the industry. Richard Umbdenstock, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the American Hospital Association, claims that the payment adjustment may harm the ability of hospitals to provide jobs.