Medicare Payments For Acute-Care Hospitals' Inpatient Services Will Decline Under Proposed Rule.

Modern Healthcare (4/20, subscription required) reports that "Medicare payments to acute-care hospitals for inpatient services will decline by 0.1%, or $142 million, in fiscal 2011 under a proposed rule issued by the CMS." Modern Healthcare adds that, "in a written statement, Richard Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, said his membership was 'deeply disappointed with [the] proposal. Plain and simple: this policy will undermine hospitals' ability to care for patients and communities across the country.'"