Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS)

More than three-quarters of the nation's inpatient acute-care hospitals are paid under the inpatient prospective payment system, while nearly a quarter are paid based on costs and are called Critical Access Hospitals. The IPPS pays a flat rate based on the average charges across all hospitals for a specific diagnosis, regardless of whether that particular patient costs more or less. Everything from an aspirin to an artificial hip is included in the package price to the hospital.