Disclosures to Patients by Certain Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals

Item #5 This information request relates to proposed required third party disclosures by certain Medicare-participating hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to their patients. The policy is contained in the FY 2009 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule. Also revising Sec. 489.3 to define a physician-owned hospital as a hospital in which a physician, or an immediate family member of a physician has an ownership or investment interest in the hospital. Because of this change to the definition of a physician-owned hospital, new Sec. 489.20(u)(1) will require that hospitals with ownership or investment interests by a physician or immediate family member disclose this information to all their patients. Additionally, we revised Sec. 489.20(u) by creating Sec. 489.20(u)(1) that requires any physician-owned hospital to furnish patients with written notice that the hospital is physician-owned and provide the list of physician owners (including immediate family members) to the patient at the time the patient or someone on the patient's behalf requests it. The intent of the disclosures is to increase the transparency of the hospital's ownership and operations to patients as they make decisions about receiving care at the hospital.