Medicare Program; Limited Additional Opportunity to Request Certain Hospital Wage Data Revisions for FY 1999

This final rule with comment period provides hospitals with a limited additional opportunity to request certain revisions to their wage data used to calculate the FY 1999 hospital wage index. In addition, it explains the criteria that must be met to request a revision, the types of revisions that will be considered, the procedures for requesting a revision, the implementation of wage index revisions, and other related issues. Requests for wage data revisions must be received by the date and time specified in the ``DATES'' section of this preamble. We will implement revisions to the hospital wage index in accordance with this final rule with comment period on a prospective basis only.