Except as specified in paragraph (b), CMS publishes information pertaining to the long-term care hospital prospective payment system effective for each annual update in the Federal Register.

(a) For the period beginning on or after July 1, 2003 and ending on June 30, 2008, information on the unadjusted Federal payment rates and a description of the methodology and data used to calculate the payment rates are published on or before May 1 prior to the start of each long-term care hospital prospective payment system rate year which begins July 1, unless for good cause it is published after May 1, but before June 1.

(b) For the period beginning on July 1, 2008 and ending on September 30, 2009, information of the unadjusted Federal payment rates and a description of the methodology and data used to calculate the payment rates are published on or before May 1 prior to the start of the long-term care hospital prospective payment system rate year which begins July 1, unless for good cause it is published after May 1, but before June 1.

(c) For the period beginning on or after October 1, 2009, information on the unadjusted Federal payment rates and a description of the methodology and data used to calculate the payment rates are published on or before August 1 prior to the start of the Federal fiscal year which begins October 1, unless for good cause it is published after August 1, but before September 1.

(d) Information on the LTC-DRG classification and associated weighting factors is published on or before August 1 prior to the beginning of each Federal fiscal year.

[68 FR 34163, June 6, 2003, as amended at 73 FR 26839, May 9, 2008]