Can you believe we are beginning to see Medicare information on the FY 2017 IPPS proposed rule already? Didn’t we just deal with the 2016 rules? Well, it’s true. On April 18, 2016, Medicare posted the FY 2017 IPPS proposed rule. We are just beginning to review its contents, but we do know the rule contains a proposal to remove the 0.2% adjustment to inpatient payments to account for the increase in expenditures due to the implementation of the two midnight rule. We also know the rule contains information on the The Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility Act (the NOTICE Act.) The NOTICE Act requires hospitals to provide notice to observation patients who have received observation for more than 24 hours, in which information is provided on the reason for the observation status and the implications of such. Stay tuned! We will provide more information on the IPPS proposed rule in mid-to-late May, so keep up with us here or follow us on Twitter @craneware. In the meanwhile, please post your comments and questions about the proposed rule here and we’ll share answers.