Civilian health and medical program of uniformed services (CHAMPUS): TRICARE program— Diagnosis related group updates; 2006 FY rates and weights,

[Federal Register: October 24, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 204)]

[Notices]

[Page 61434-61435]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr24oc05-33]

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

TRICARE; Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS); Fiscal Year 2006 Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) Updates

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of DRG revised rates.

SUMMARY: This notice describes the changes made to the TRICARE DRG- based payment system in order to conform to changes made to the Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS). It also provides the updated fixed loss cost outlier threshold, cost-to-charge ratios and the Internet address for accessing the updated adjusted standardized amount and DRG relative weights to be used for FY 2006 under the TRICARE DRG- based payment system.

EFFECTIVE DATES: The rates, weights and Medicare PPS changes which affect the TRICARE DRG-based payment system contained in this notice are effective for admissions occurring on or after October 1, 2005.

ADDRESSES: TRICARE Management Activity (TMA), Medical Benefits and Reimbursement Systems, 16401 East Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011- 9066.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marty Maxey, Medical Benefits and Reimbursement Systems, TMA, telephone (303) 676-3627. Questions regarding payment of specific claims under the TRICARE DRG-based payment system should be addressed to the appropriate contractor.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The final rule published on September 1, 1987 (52 FR 32992) set forth the basic procedures used under the CHAMPUS DRG-based payment system. This was subsequently amended by final rules published August 31, 1988 (53 FR 33461), October 21, 1988 (53 FR 41331), December 16, 1988 (53 FR 50515), May 30, 1990 (55 FR 21863), October 22, 1990 (55 FR 42560), and September 10, 1998 (63 FR 48439). An explicit tenet of these final rules, and one based on the statute authorizing the use of DRGs by TRICARE, is that the TRICARE DRG-based payment system is modeled on the Medicare PPS, and that, whenever practicable, the TRICARE system will follow the same rules that apply to the Medicare PPS. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes these changes annually in the Federal Register and discusses in detail the impact of the changes. In addition, this notice updates the rates and weights in accordance with our previous final rules. The actual changes we are making, along with a description of their relationship to the Medicare PPS, are detailed below.

1. Medicare PPS Changes Which Affect the TRICARE DRG-Based Payment System

Following is a discussion of the changes CMS has made to the Medicare PPS that affect the TRICARE DRG-based payment system.

1. DRG Classifications

Under both the Medicare PPS and the TRICARE DRG-based payment system, cases are classified into the appropriate DRG by a Grouper program. The Grouper classifies each case into a DRG on the basis of the diagnosis and procedure codes and demographic information (that is, sex, age, and discharge status). The Grouper used for the TRICARE DRG- based payment system is the same as the current Medicare Grouper with two modifications. The TRICARE system has replaced Medicare DRG 435 with two age-based DRGs (900 and 901), and has implemented thirty-four (34) neonatal DRGs in place of Medicare DRGs 385 through 390. For admissions occurring on or after October 1, 2001, DRG 435 has been replaced by DRG 523. The TRICARE system has replaced DRG 523 with the two age-based DRGs (900 and 901). For admissions occurring on or after October 1, 1995, the CHAMPUS grouper hierarchy logic was changed so the age split (age