OPPS Coinsurance

30 - OPPS Coinsurance (Rev. 2141, Issued: 01-24-11, Effective: 01-01-11, Implementation: 01-03-11) OPPS freezes coinsurance for outpatient hospital at 20 percent of the national median charge for the services within each APC (wage adjusted for the provider’s geographic area), but coinsurance for an APC cannot be less than 20 percent of the APC payment rate. As the total payment to the provider increases each year based on market basket updates, the present or frozen coinsurance amount will become a smaller portion of the total payment until coinsurance represents 20 percent of the total payment. Once coinsurance becomes 20 percent of the payment amount, the annual updates will also increase coinsurance so that it continues to account for 20 percent of the total payment. As previously stated, the wage-adjusted coinsurance for a service under OPPS cannot exceed the inpatient deductible amount. Section 111 of BIPA accelerates the reduction of beneficiary copayment amounts by providing that for services furnished on or after April 1, 2001, and before January 1, 2002, the national unadjusted copayment amount for any ambulatory payment classification (APC) group cannot exceed 57 percent of the APC payment rate. The statute makes further reductions in future years so that national unadjusted copayment amounts cannot exceed 55 percent of the APC rate in 2002 and 2003, 50 percent in 2004, 45 percent in 2005, and 40 percent in 2006 and later years. The annual update of the OPPS Pricer includes updated copayment amounts. For screening colonoscopies and screening flexible sigmoidoscopies, the coinsurance amount is 25 percent of the payment rate, prior to January 1, 2011. Coinsurance does not apply to screening colonoscopies, screening sigmoidoscopies, and other specified services furnished on or after January 1, 2011. Coinsurance does not apply to influenza virus vaccines, pneumococcal pneumonia vaccines, and clinical diagnostic laboratory services (which includes screening pap smears and screening prostate-specific antigen testing). See §30.2 below for more detail. Future updates will be issued in a Recurring Update Notification.