Volume 25.07
Many hospice providers request an Extended Repayment Schedule (“ERS”) to liquidate outstanding Medicare program liabilities, which are primarily the result of a CAP overpayment. If repaying the overpayment within thirty (30) days constitutes a hardship, the hospice may request an ERS.
Hardship is defined as a liability to the Medicare program that is ten percent (10%) or greater of total Medicare payments made during the period covered by the most recent cost report.
To secure an ERS, the hospice must submit a signed ERS request and additional information. If the ERS is for a period of fifteen (15) months or less, the hospice need only include the signed ERS request, a copy of the demand notice (notice of liability), and a signed repayment schedule. The fifteen (15) months is a change from the twelve (12) months previously required (effective October 30, 2023). All requests for an ERS must include a “Good Faith Payment”, the first payment in accordance with the repayment schedule.
An ERS request for a period greater than fifteen (15) months requires significant documentation, including:
- Balance sheets;
- Income statements;
- Cash flow statements;
- Projected cash flow statements;
- List of restricted cash funds;
- List of investments;
- List of notes and mortgages payable;
- Related party transaction disclosures;
- Patient days by payor source and level of care.
Detail regarding an ERS request and the responsibilities of the Medicare Administrative Contractor are located here.
REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE FOR HOSPICE FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION CONFERENCE
The Health Group, LLC is pleased to announce the 2025 Hospice Financial Administration Conference, scheduled for October 16-17, 2025, and early registrations are now being accepted. The conference will be held at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Lake. Special rates have been secured with the hotel for conference attendees.
In response to feedback from prior program attendees, several topics have been expanded, and concurrent programming is available to facilitate meeting the needs of the attendees, whether administrative management, accounting management and personnel, or those more interested in clinical services management or program integrity issues.
The program offers an expanded Hospice CAP session and cost report session in response to requests by previous attendees. As always, space is limited at our programs to provide for more interactive discussions intended to meet your educational needs.
The program agenda, hotel reservation link, and registration information are available here. Early registration discounts are available. We look forward to seeing you in Orlando.