Swing-Bed Services at Nationwide Critical Access Hospitals

In 2015, the Office of Inspector General reported that swing-bed usage at Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) significantly increased from CY 2005 through CY 2010. Medicare spending for swing-bed services at CAHs steadily increased to, on average, almost four times the cost of similar services at alternative facilities. We estimated that Medicare could have saved $4.1 billion over the CY 2005 through CY 2010 period if payments for swing-bed services at CAHs had been made using Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System rates. We will review swing-bed data for CY 2015 through CY 2019 to determine whether: (1) any actions were taken to reduce swing-bed usage at CAHs; (2) Medicare payment amounts were updated for swing-bed services to CAHs; and (3) alternative care was available to Medicare beneficiaries at a potentially lower rate.

Announced or Revised	Agency	Title	Component	Report Number(s)	Expected Issue Date (FY)
Revised	Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services	Swing-Bed Services at Nationwide Critical Access Hospitals	Office of Audit Services	W-00-20-35853	2025