Medicare will pay psychiatric hospitals more, but only if they report more data

Medicare is increasing how much it pays psychiatric hospitals and units for patient care. These facilities will also need to report more quality data to keep getting those payments.

Psychiatric facilities often operate on thin margins. These payment increases could help them stay open or expand services. However, the new reporting requirements mean they will need to invest in better data collection and management systems. This shifts some of the administrative burden onto the facilities themselves.