CMS has released the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment rates for fiscal year (FY) 2013. Section 1888(e) of the Social Security Act, as amended, requires the publication of annual updates to these payment rates. This includes the unadjusted Federal per diem rates, the case-mix classification system and the factors to be used in calculating the area wage adjustment used in computing the prospective payment rates for FY 2013. The notice does not establish any new policies applicable to the SNF prospective payment system.
The updated rates are estimated to result in an increase of $670 million, or 1.8%, in payments to SNFs during FY 2013. SNFs in rural areas are expected to experience a slightly smaller increase (1.5%) than those in urban areas (1.9%). The difference will be largest in the Pacific region, where urban SNFs can expect an increase of roughly 2.7%, while rural SNFs are expected to see increases in payments of only approximately 0.3%.