We will hold our Provider User Meeting in Orlando on October 17-18. It will be two full days. The meeting will be held at Disney’s Coronado Resort. We’ve set up a site with information, registration and the hotel reservation info and link. This link is also under our Events tab on our website (HFSSOFT.com).
2012 HFS Provider User Meeting
This meeting will be for Hospitals, SNF’s and HHA’s. Other provider types are welcome to attend but we will not have industry specific speakers for other provider types. The fee for the meeting is $500, we will offer 16 CPE credits and the hotel rate is $129 per night. We hope you can attend. We are confirming speakers and topics and will keep updating our agenda on the event website. We really enjoy seeing our users at this meeting and consistently receive comments that we put on a good meeting with great up to date information. We are going to make this one our best yet.
We are pleased to announce that Eric Swanson has joined our team at Health Financial Systems. Many of you know Eric from his previous employment at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where he served as the Managing Director for the Strategic Government Initiatives Department. He has over 30 years of experience in Medicare Part A and was an established expert within the Blue Cross organization, as well as a technical expert to CMS and the provider community. Eric successfully managed the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Medicare operations including PRRB Appeals, Medicare Cost Report development, and Audit and Reimbursement Policy functions.
He is a Graduate of the University of Illinois and earned his MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
Eric has been a featured speaker at HFS user meetings since 1995. He will work out of the Chicago area and contribute in our support department and Government Relations. Eric will add another dimension of expertise to the HFS team and he looks forward to working with all of our provider and MAC clients.
Eric can be reached by email at Eric@hfssoft.com or by phone (312)265-8386.
CMS approved our new ESRD 265-11 Medicare cost report software on January 30, 2011. We will release the full version of the software on February 3, 2012. You can download the full version of the software from the download page on our website. You can use the new software to prepare and electronically file your cost report(s). Any cost report file(s) you created with the beta version will work with the new full version of the 265-11 software.
Please note the new file extension for the 265-11 cost report data files is .mcrx. You will be able to open both 265-94 and 264-11 cost report using the yellow icon HFS software. Both the 265-11 and 265-94 systems are installed in the same folder and both start with the same yellow HFS icon-shortcut.
The use template option is not yet operational. We will get the template feature up and running as soon as possible, but currently you will only be able to open a blank, new 265-11 cost report.
Effective Dates (January 1, 2011 and after)
Form CMS-265-11 must be completed by all independent end stage renal dialysis (ESRD) facilities that are not hospital-based for cost reporting periods ending on or after January 1, 2011.
Extended Filing Deadlines for 265-11 Cost Reports
CMS recently extended the filing deadline for ESRD 265-11 cost reports. The following table contains the new cost report due dates.
CMS announced that short period and terminating hospitals qualifying for the HIT payment will be granted extensions on a case by case basis for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2010 and subsequent and file on the 2552-10.
Short period and terminating hospitals not qualifying for the HIT payment will file and settle on the 2552-96 with no extensions granted for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2010 and on or before April 30, 2011.
by Chuck Briggs
On July 27, 2011 HFS received a memorandum from CMS regarding filing deadlines for SNFs. The following is a summary of the details we received.
The 2540-10 is effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after 12/01/2010. For any short period cost reports beginning on or after 12/01/2010 and ending 11/30/2011, providers will continue to file on the form CMS-2540-96. No extensions are proposed at this time.
by Chuck Briggs
On July 27, 2011 HFS received written confirmation from CMS that the deadlines to file on the new 2552-10 form set will be extended. The following is a summary of the details we received.
CMS issued a 30-day extension for 4/30/2011 FYE providers (Joint Signature Memo/Technical Direction Letter – 11204, 03-03-11).
All providers with full 12 months or greater cost reporting periods which begin on or after May 1, 2010 (and end on or after April 30, 2011) must file on the 2552-10 form set, subject to the following extension schedule. (We published this same schedule in our previous 2552-10 news post, and publish it again for your convenience. There were no changes.)
2552-10 Extended Cost Report Filing Dates
Short period cost reports:
– Providers with cost report periods beginning on or after May 1, 2010, but ending prior to April 30, 2011, must file and settle on 2552-96. These cost reports are due the latter of 30 days from the date of the forthcoming TDL or 5 months following the close of the cost reporting period. This includes hospitals with hospital based end stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities and/or departments.
– Hospital based ESRDs are subject to the same extension schedule as indicated above. Hospital based ESRDs should submit their cost reports using the current 2552-10, with the existing Worksheet I series. The Hospital based ESRDs claiming bad debts may not be settled until a revised 2552-10 Worksheet I series is published incorporating the new bad debt calculation.
by Chuck Briggs
We are currently beta testing the new 2552-10 software in numerous sites across the country. Unfortunately, the new form set is still not final and therefore neither is our hospital software. CMS is still working on Transmittal 2. Transmittal 2 is needed is to fix various problems in Transmittal 1 (the current version of the 2552-10). Transmittal 2 will also implement numerous provisions of the ACA that were not included in Transmittal 1. We will work diligently to incorporate the Transmittal 2 changes into our 2552-10 software so that we may obtain CMS approval as quickly as possible. Once we obtain CMS approval we will release the 2552-10 software to all of our customers.
We realize many of you are concerned about the diminished time you will have to timely prepare and submit your hospital cost reports . We have expressed your concerns to CMS for many months now. CMS has proposed extensions for the 2552-10, but we have NOT received this as a final communication from CMS. (See table, below.) When we do, we’ll let everyone know. Until then, we can only wait on CMS.
| Fiscal Year End |
Due Date |
Proposed Due Date |
Extension |
| 4/30/2011 |
9/30/2011 |
11/30/2011 |
60 days |
| 5/31/2011 |
10/31/2011 |
11/30/2011 |
30 days |
| 6/30/2011 |
11/30/2011 |
1/31/2012 |
60 days |
| 7/30/2011 |
12/31/2011 |
1/31/2012 |
30 days |
| 8/31/2011 |
1/31/2012 |
2/29/2012 |
30 days |
| 9/30/2011 |
2/29/2012 |
3/31/2012 |
30 days |
| 10/31/2011 |
3/31/2012 |
3/31/2012 |
None |
| 11/30/2011 |
4/30/2012 |
4/30/2012 |
None |
Proposed Extensions of Cost Report Filing Due Dates
by Chuck Briggs
The new 2540-10 form set is effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after 12/1/2010. For any short cost reporting period beginning on or after 12/1/2010 and ending prior to 11/30/2011, providers will continue to file on the form CMS 2540-96. No extension is proposed at this time.
on Transmittal 2 and advised us there will be a Transmittal 3 sometime later this year. Transmittal 3 will implement applicable provisions of ACA section 6104. (Published in Federal Register, March 11, 2011, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-03-11/html/2011-5684.htm .)
The table below shows CMS proposed timeline for the Transmittal 3 changes.
by Chuck Briggs
I announce with pleasure that Luke DiSabato has joined Health Financial Systems support group starting 10/4/2010.
Luke is a graduate of The University of Notre Dame and has a high level of experience in Medicare.
Luke has over 20 years of experience working in the FI/MAC environment. Many of you know Luke from his previous employment and I know you will help me in welcoming him.
Luke’s contact information is:
Luke@HFSsoft.com
As part of the support team, Luke can also be reached on the support line, (888)216-6041 and e-mail, support@hfssoft.com.
Luke will be working out of OH. This will enhance our service to our East Coast users.
Thank you,
Becky Dolin
Health Financial Systems
8109 Laguna Boulevard
Elk Grove, CA 95758
888.216.6041
CMS’s Plans for the A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor Round II Procurements: Important Information for Potential Offerors Concerning –
- Consolidation of A/B MAC Jurisdictions
- Management of the A/B MAC Marketplace
- Responsibilities of the A/B MAC Medical Directors
For the full document, download the PDF here: http://www.hfssoft.com/pdfs/MAC-Round2-Special-Notice.pdf
