Wednesday, November 05, 2003

Medicare Program; Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System for FY 2004
From the Federal Register (in Adobe Acrobat format) at the Open Minds web site - "This proposed rule updates the prospective payment rates forinpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for Federal fiscal year 2004 as required under section 1886(j)(3)(C) of the Social Security Act (the Act). Section 1886(j)(5) of the Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to publish in the Federal Register on or before August 1 before each fiscal year, the classification and weighting factors for the IRF case-mix groups and a description of the methodolog and data used in computing the prospective payment rates for that fiscal year. In addition, in this proposed rule, we are proposing new policies, and changing or clarifying existing policies regarding the prospective payment system (PPS) within the authority granted under sections 1886(j) and 1886(d) of the Act."  
  

Texas’ Governor Perry Hears – and Responds to – Cries of Injustice
NMHA news release - "Last summer, Texas moved to virtually eliminate mental health benefits under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), ignoring the needs of tens of thousands Texas youth who received mental health services through the program. The National Mental Health Association (NMHA), the Mental Health Association in Texas (MHAT) and other advocates fought at the federal and state levels to block this proposed cut, and as a result, Texas Governor Perry has proposed to restore funding for a portion of mental health and substance abuse services previously available under this critical program."