Vizient Shares Policy Recommendations with CMS in IPPS Proposed Rule Comments

IRVING, Texas, June 9, 2023 – Vizient, Inc. today offered comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the FY 2024 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Proposed Rule. In our comments, Vizient responded to myriad proposals from CMS, including the woefully inadequate market basket update and the agency's approach to advancing health equity.

Regarding hospitals' continued cost pressures, Vizient encouraged CMS to consider a more substantial increase to the operating payment rate for hospitals paid under IPPS. Vizient called on CMS to update the proposed rate to reflect the mounting costs facing hospitals and to consider opportunities to address the inadequate rate increases from prior years.

"The market basket update provided by CMS is wholly insufficient and fails to fully account for the current inflationary environment," said Shoshana Krilow, senior vice president of public policy and government relations for Vizient. "We encourage CMS to ensure current trends are adequately accounted for in the data it uses to accurately adjust for increased costs and prevent significant financial harm to the healthcare system."

In support of CMS's ongoing efforts to advance health equity, Vizient applauded the agency for proposing to change the severity level designation for certain social determinants of health (SDOH) diagnosis codes and encouraged the agency to broaden this policy. Throughout our comments, Vizient provided recommendations related to health equity policies, such as the utilization of tools including the Vizient Vulnerability Index^TM, and voiced concern regarding the agency's use of the Area Deprivation Index in policies such as the Health Equity Adjustment bonus points proposal in a CMS quality program. Vizient also offered feedback on CMS's Request for Information on challenges facing safety-net hospitals to help ensure care is accessible to uninsured and low-income patients.

Vizient thanks CMS for the opportunity to inform policies that have a significant impact on our members and looks forward to collaborating with the agency and healthcare stakeholders in this important work.

About Vizient, Inc.
Vizient, Inc., the nation's largest health care performance improvement company, serves more than 50% of the nation's acute care providers, which includes 97% of the nation's academic medical centers, and more than 25% of the non-acute market. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $130 billion in annual purchasing volume. Vizient's solutions and services improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.