Special treatment: Hospitals that incur indirect costs for graduate medical education programs.

§ 412.105 Special treatment: Hospitals that incur indirect costs for graduate medical education programs.

CMS makes an additional payment to hospitals for indirect medical education costs using the following procedures:

(a) Basic data. CMS determines the following for each hospital:

(1) The hospital's ratio of full-time equivalent residents (except as limited under paragraph (f) of this section) to the number of beds (as determined under paragraph (b) of this section).

(i) Except for the special circumstances for Medicare GME affiliated groups, emergency Medicare GME affiliated groups, and new programs described in paragraphs (f)(1)(vi) and (f)(1)(vii) of this section for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1997, and for the special circumstances for closed hospitals or closed programs described in paragraph (f)(1)(ix) of this section for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2002, and for Rural Track Programs within their 5-year cap building period described in paragraph (f)(1)(x)(B) in cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2022, this ratio may not exceed the ratio for the hospital's most recent prior cost reporting period after accounting for the cap on the number of allopathic and osteopathic full-time equivalent residents as described in paragraph (f)(1)(iv) of this section, and adding to the capped numerator any dental and podiatric full-time equivalent residents.

(ii)

(A) For new programs started prior to October 1, 2012, the exception for new programs described in paragraph (f)(1)(vii) of this section applies to each new program individually for which the full-time equivalent cap may be adjusted based on the period of years equal to the minimum accredited length of each new program.

(B) For new programs started on or after October 1, 2012, the exception for new programs described in paragraph (f)(1)(vii) of this section applies to each new program individually during the cost reporting periods prior to the beginning of the applicable hospital's cost reporting period that coincides with or follows the start of the sixth program year of the first new program started, for hospitals for which the full-time equivalent cap may be adjusted in accordance with § 413.79(e)(1) of this chapter, and prior to the beginning of the applicable hospital's cost reporting period that coincides with or follows the start of the sixth program year of the each individual new program started, for hospitals for which the full-time equivalent cap may be adjusted in accordance with § 413.79(e)(3) of this chapter.

(iii) The exception for closed hospitals and closed programs described in paragraph (f)(1)(ix) of this section applies only through the end of the first 12-month cost reporting period in which the receiving hospital trains the displaced full-time equivalent residents.

(iv) In the cost reporting period following the last year the receiving hospital's full-time equivalent cap is adjusted for the displaced resident(s), the resident-to-bed ratio cap in paragraph (a)(1) of this section is calculated as if the displaced full-time equivalent residents had not trained at the receiving hospital in the prior year.

(2) The hospital's DRG revenue for inpatient operating costs based on DRG-adjusted prospective payment rates for inpatient operating costs, excluding outlier payments for inpatient operating costs determined under subpart F of this part and additional payments made under the provisions of § 412.106.

(b) Determination of the number of beds. For purposes of this section, the number of beds in a hospital is determined by counting the number of available bed days during the cost reporting period and dividing that number by the number of days in the cost reporting period. This count of available bed days excludes bed days associated with—

(1) Beds in a unit or ward that is not occupied to provide a level of care that would be payable under the acute care hospital inpatient prospective payment system at any time during the 3 preceding months (the beds in the unit or ward are to be excluded from the determination of available bed days during the current month);

(2) Beds in a unit or ward that is otherwise occupied (to provide a level of care that would be payable under the acute care hospital inpatient prospective payment system) that could not be made available for inpatient occupancy within 24 hours for 30 consecutive days;

(3) Beds in excluded distinct part hospital units;

(4) Beds otherwise countable under this section used for outpatient observation services, skilled nursing swing-bed services, or inpatient hospice services.

(5) Beds or bassinets in the healthy newborn nursery; and

(6) Custodial care beds.

(c) Measurement for teaching activity. The factor representing the effect of teaching activity on inpatient operating costs equals .405 for discharges occurring on or after May 1, 1986.

(d) Determination of education adjustment factor. Each hospital's education adjustment factor is calculated as follows:

(1) Step one. A factor representing the sum of 1.00 plus the hospital's ratio of full-time equivalent residents to beds, as determined under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, excluding beds temporarily added during the time frame that the Public Health Emergency as defined in § 400.200 of this chapter is in effect, is raised to an exponential power equal to the factor set forth in paragraph (c) of this section.

(2) Step two. The factor derived from step one is reduced by 1.00.

(3) Step three. The factor derived from completing steps one and two is multiplied by “c”, and where “c” is equal to the following:

(i) For discharges occurring on or after October 1, 1988, and before October 1, 1997, 1.89.

(ii) For discharges occurring during fiscal year 1998, 1.72.

(iii) For discharges occurring during fiscal year 1999, 1.6.

(iv) For discharges occurring during fiscal year 2000, 1.47.

(A) Each hospital receives an amount that is equal in the aggregate to the difference between the amount of payments made to the hospital if “c” equaled 1.6, rather than 1.47.

(B) The payment of this amount will not affect any other payments, determinations, or budget neutrality adjustments.

(v) For fiscal year 2001—

(A) For discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2000 and before April 1, 2001, 1.54.

(B) For discharges occurring on or after April 1, 2001 and before October 1, 2001, the adjustment factor is determined as if “c” equaled 1.66, rather than 1.54. This payment increase will not apply to discharges occurring after fiscal year 2001 and will not be taken into account in calculating the payment amounts applicable for discharges occurring after fiscal year 2001.

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