π Summary
This final rule updates the prospective payment rates, the outlier threshold, and the wage index for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPFs), which include psychiatric hospitals and excluded psychiatric units of an acute care hospital or critical access hospital. This final rule also refines the Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS) outlier policy. These changes will be effective for IPF discharges occurring during the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. We are also finalizing the implementation of a standardized IPF patient assessment instrument, and removing two measures used in the Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Quality Reporting Program.