CMS value-based payments may rise for 1,500 hospitals

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released projected fiscal year 2020 results for its Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program this week. The program ties Medicare payments to hospital performance relative to their peers on cost and quality measures. More than half of VBP participating hospitals, about 1,500, are projected to receive net Medicare payments that are 0.16% higher on average. VBP incentive payments depend on each hospital’s total performance score. Urban hospitals received higher scores in the clinical outcomes domain. Rural and smaller hospitals performed best in the safety, person and community engagement, and efficiency and cost reduction domains.