MD health regulators approved a larger increase in hospital rates

for the coming fiscal year than initially proposed but not quite as much as the hospitals wanted.

The two-step increase approved Wednesday by the Health Services Cost Review Commission amounts to a 2.72 percent average increase to hospital rates for fiscal 2017, which starts July 1.

The decision is a compromise between the higher rates hospitals sought and more modest increases proposed by the commission's staff members, who were concerned about breaking the rules of the federal agreement that allows the state to set hospital rates in the first place.

The commission approved a 2.16 percent rate increase for the first half of the fiscal year, July through December, and a 3.28 percent rate increase for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Read more: www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-hs-hospital-rate-vote-20160608-story.html

Anyone recall???