FL ready to revamp medicaid payments to hospitals

Florida lawmakers this year directed the state Agency for Health Care Administration to develop the plan, which is designed to more accurately tailor Medicaid payments to the treatment each patient receives. It will replace a complex system that involves calculating per-diem rates for inpatient care—a system that Gov. Rick Scott and other critics say has led to wide differences in how much hospitals get paid. The plan is required to be submitted to Scott and legislative leaders by Jan. 1 and is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2013. The changes have high stakes for hospitals, as some likely will wind up getting paid more under the new system and others will get paid less.