SOS: Sustaining Outpatient Services Act

This bill would allow Medicare to pay for specific items and services provided at off-campus hospital outpatient departments under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system. This payment structure would apply to services where total payments to physician specialists under the Medicare physician fee schedule remained at or below $2 million during the preceding year.

This bill affects hospital outpatient departments that operate off-campus facilities and provide specific items or services to patients. It also impacts physician specialists whose Medicare physician fee schedule payments for those services did not exceed $2 million in the preceding year. Additionally, the Medicare program is affected through the implementation of the prospective payment system for these specific outpatient services.

• Medicare payment for off-campus outpatient services. Allows for Medicare payment under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system for specific items and services provided at off-campus departments.
• Eligibility threshold for physician specialist payments. Limits the payment authorization to items and services where total payments to physician specialists under the Medicare physician fee schedule were $2 million or less during the preceding year.

The bill modifies the Medicare prospective payment system to allow for payments for specific items and services furnished at off-campus hospital outpatient departments, provided those services did not exceed a $2 million payment threshold under the Medicare physician fee schedule in the preceding year.

The bill aims to authorize Medicare payments under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system for specific items and services provided at off-campus departments, provided that the total payments for those services to physician specialists did not exceed $2 million in the preceding year.