Surprise CMS Move Will Cost Hospitals for Multiple Push Injections of Same Drug

AISHealth and the 3/6/06 Report on Medicare Compliance are reporting Hospitals are about to lose money for intravenous push injections because of a surprise move by CMS, experts say.

CMS said recently that hospitals can’t charge Medicare for more than one IV push injection of the same drug during the same patient encounter (HCPCS code C8952C), according to new guidance on billing for drug administration under the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS). Only multiple injections of different drugs can be charged separately, according to the guidance, which comes in the form of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and was posted on the CMS Web site in mid-February.

This is the latest in a series of OPPS drug administration changes to cause revenue and/or compliance challenges for hospitals.