Date: May 21, 2018
To: All IPPS Hospitals
From: Ellen Corwin, Director
Subject: Availability of the Preliminary Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Wage Index Public Use Files (PUF), Deadline for Requesting Revisions to the Preliminary FY 2020 Wage Index Data, and FY 2020 Wage Index Development Timetable

Availability and Revisions to Wage Index PUF

On Friday, May 18, 2018, CMS released the preliminary FY 2020 Worksheet S-3, Parts II and III wage index PUF. The FY 2020 IPPS wage index will be calculated based on Federal FY 2016 hospital cost reports; that is, cost reports with fiscal year begin (FYB) dates of on or after October 1, 2015 and on or before September 30, 2016.  As part of the posting of the FY 2020 preliminary wage index PUFs, CMS also posted the CY 2016 Occupational Mix survey data. (This occupational mix file that CMS posted is also the latest available survey data that is being used for the FY 2019 wage index).

The PUF is available at: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/AcuteInpatientPPS/FY2020-IPPS-Final-Rule-Home-Page. The American Hospital Association also generally makes the wage index PUF available to individual State hospital associations. The PUF excludes hospitals designated as CAHs as of May 2018. The FY 2016 wage data will be used in the development of the proposed FY 2020 wage index, to be published in the Federal Register in Spring, 2019.

Hospitals must review the file to confirm the inclusion and accuracy of their wage index and occupational mix data. Hospitals may request revisions to their preliminary data. As the attached FY 2020 Hospital Wage Index Development Timetable indicates, all requests from hospitals for changes to their FY 2020 wage index data must be submitted to and received by their Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) by September 4, 2018. A hospital that wishes to revise its wage index and/or occupational mix data must submit its request along with complete, appropriate, detailed supporting documentation to its MAC. Requests postmarked by the September 4, 2018 deadline, but not received until after the deadline, will not be accepted. MACs must receive the revision requests and supporting documentation by this date.

Revisions to the Wage Index data or Occupational Mix Data should be submitted to JE-WageIndex@noridian.com.  If you have any questions, please contact Louie Martin at 651-994-3914 or lewis.martin@noridian.com

ATTACHMENT: FY 2020 Wage Index Development Timetable