Section 304(c) of Public Law 106-554 amended section 1886(d) (3) (E) of the Social Security Act to require The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to collect data every 3 years on the occupational mix (OM) of employees for each short-term, acute care hospital participating in the Medicare program, in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment to the wage index, for application beginning October 1, 2004 (the FY 2005 wage index). The purpose of the occupational mix adjustment is to control for the effect of hospitals' employment choices on the wage index.
The second round of occupational mix data collection is upon us. This audio webcast will discuss lessons learned through the first quarter, 2006 submission process as well as the impact occupational mix will have on hospitals for FFY 2007.