Mass. hospitals win fight over Medicare rates

A judge has ordered the US Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse Massachusetts hospitals up to $200 million because of an improperly calculated Medicare reimbursement rate.

Sixty-two hospitals in the state sued over a change in the way HHS calculates the hospital wage index that is used in reimbursing hospitals under Medicare.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered the government to recalculate the wage index and pay the hospitals based on the new calculation.

The hospitals say the miscalculation cost them about $200 million.

The hospitals include Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport, Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
(AP)