Just in Time for Christmas! The 2024 CMS HOPD G0277 Error Rate Has Been Corrected!!! Guest Post from John Peters

Here’s some welcome news hot off the press from John Peters, the Executive Director of the UHMS!

–Caroline

Dear Caroline,

Thank you for inviting me again to contribute an update on the 2024 HOPD G0277 final error.

Yesterday afternoon, we received notification from the leadership of CMS that the error was corrected. From Julie Orzali, “The CY 2024 HBO APC rate is $132.21.  The APC rate increased $7.14 or 5.7% over the current year 2023.” This is a huge win for advocacy and we appreciate the tireless efforts of the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders, our corporate partners and many other companies and individuals.

You can find the updated payment files here for OPPS and here for ASCs.

This was the right decision by CMS because we knew the data from two independent sources pointed to an error. However, trusting CMS to issue a correction and the timing of the correction was of great concern. Ultimately, we felt the stakes were too high related to the loss of patient access to appropriate hyperbaric medicine services with a delayed correction and that we could not take a wait-and-see attitude, so we pushed forward with an aggressive approach and agenda which had a core group of stakeholders meeting daily. That cadence allowed us to discuss plans and progress nearly in real time.

Open, honest, and frequent communication with the field’s stakeholders was vital to mobilizing an undeniable force, as evidenced by the over 1700 individuals, associations, hospitals, health systems, and other invested entities that signed the stakeholder letter.

I am so proud of the team and the work product, but more importantly, I am proud of the UHM community and others who stepped up and voiced their support for an immediate correction.

Patients won today, and the specialty was lifted with the broad base of support we received.

Thanks so much!

Regards,

John Peters
Executive Director, UHMS