Disaster Looms Over New CMS Rule

Over the last decade, hospitals have increasingly expanded their services, moving beyond the physical perimeters of their building to outpatient medical facilities. Partly born out of a desire to offer a full range of integrated medical services to patients, it was also born out of a necessity to offset unreimbursed inpatient expenses incurred within the hospital setting. Unfortunately, a new cost cutting effort threatens to upset this system and to limit access to the care Americans need.