Volume 21.07
The Advance Conference Program and registration information for our upcoming Hospice Financial Management Academy is now available.
The program will be held at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on September 13-14, 2021. Early registration discounts are available though July 15, 2021 (space is limited, early registration is recommended). The Advance Conference Program includes hotel registration information to secure the discounted room prices available to our attendees.
The conference is very proactive by its design yet still provides for dealing with outstanding retrospective reporting, i.e. COVID-19 PHE related reporting. We hope to see you in Las Vegas.
REPORTING FOR USE OF PROVIDER RELIEF FUNDING
We get many questions regarding reporting for the use of Provider Relief Funding, which was supposed to begin on February 15, 2021; however, this reporting did not occur.
Many new questions now exist regarding the reporting requirements including:
- Will there be one report, two reports, or multiple reports?
- Will Provider Relief Funding use end on June 30, 2021, as originally planned, or will the reporting extend through December 31, 2021 based on the extension of the public health emergency?
- Will there be any modifications to the direction previously provided relating to qualifying expenses and/or lost revenues?
Healthcare providers, including hospices, can, and should register on the HHS provided portal; however, no reporting is being accepted at this time pending further direction from HHS.
Providers should be continually documenting the use of Provider Relief Funds as if the use of these funds continues for their intended purposes (qualifying expenses and lost revenues) to better ensure that reporting requirements can be met when HHS releases those updated requirements. You can monitor any reporting changes here.
PIP REIMBURSEMENT FOR HOSPICES
The Health Group, LLC has always recommended that hospices consider “Periodic Interim Payment” reimbursement in lieu of reimbursement as claims are processed if the hospice is being served by Palmetto GBA or NGS. Recently, we have received an increasing number of inquiries regarding PIP reimbursement (the benefits and how the program works). We will be preparing an updated summary of the process intended to assist hospices in assessing whether the hospice is eligible, whether the program would be beneficial to the hospice in stabilizing cash flows, and the accounting and reporting requirements of the PIP program. If you want to receive a copy of this summary, please contact us at contact@healthgroup.com. Once finalized, we will furnish a copy to you.
COMMENTS TO HOSPICE PROPOSED RULE
We have completed our comments on the Hospice Proposed Rule, which proposes to establish a labor component of hospice reimbursement rates based on cost report submissions. We have received numerous requests for a copy of these comments. If you want a copy please email us at contact@healthgroup.com.