HFS News & Information

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an additional list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to Medicare providers regarding the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Provider Relief Fund and the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program payments, also referred to as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relief payments.  The FAQs provide guidance to providers on how to report provider relief fund payments, uninsured charges reimbursed through the Uninsured Program administered by Health Resources and Services Administration, and Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan Forgiveness amounts. The FAQs also address that provider relief fund payments should not offset expenses on the Medicare Cost Report.

The full FAQ can be found at the below link and the cost reporting questions begin on page 98. Please note that the FAQ did not further extend cost report filing extensions past those published on July 15, 2020.

https://www.cms.gov/files/document/03092020-covid-19-faqs-508.pdf

On August 21, 2020 CMS posted two significant change requests to its website.

CR 11644 – Communicated changes to the cost report acceptability checklists used by MACs to make acceptable cost report determinations.  This CR removes the review of the PI file encryption codes and establishes Provider documentation variance allowance of +-3 percent.  The full Change Request is available at: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/r10316otn.pdf.

In addition, CMS issued CR 11642.  This CR provides MAC instructions regarding the calculation of nursing and allied health Medicare+Choice payments and the proportional reduction to MA direct GME payments.  The changes to the proportional reduction to MA direct GME payments were initiated in Transmittal 16 of Form CMS 2552-10.  The full Change Request is available at: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/r10315otn.pdf.