FY17 RESEARCH RATES FOR MUSC HEALTH SERVICES: EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2016

June 24, 2016

Please review message below in regard to research billing.

To:       Principal Investigators and Research Professionals
In order to simplify the calculation of research rates, effective July 1, 2016, all hospital research charges will be calculated using a single discount rate based on the hospital’s Medicare outpatient collection rate. The FY17 research rate will be 19% of the gross charge. For example, if the charge master rate is $100, the research charge would be $19. Each year we will recalculate this percentage, update research rates and invoice accordingly. Please note, there is no change in the research rate methodology for professional (MUSC-P) charges. MUSC-P will continue to provide services at the Medicare reimbursement rate for research studies.
Please keep in mind that, depending on the service or procedure and/or the location where the service is provided, there may be both hospital and professional charges incurred for services. Surgical procedures (e.g. appendectomy) often involve numerous charges (supplies, anesthesia, medication, etc.) and these charges are difficult to estimate. The SCTR SUCCESS Center at 843-792-8300 will work with you to calculate a cost estimate based on historical claims data.  All other proposal pricing for research will be obtained through SPARCRequest (sparc.musc.edu).

Thank you for your patience and support as we institute the new rates.

Stephen A. Hargett, MS, Chief Financial Officer / Controller, MUSC Health
Kathleen T. Brady, MD, PhD, Vice President for Research, MUSC
Patrick Flume, MD, Assistant Provost for Research Compliance, MUSC