Medicare Cost Report Submission Date Approaching

Nursing homes, hospices, and Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs) that are Medicare Part A providers are required to file a Medicare Cost Report within five months after the close of their fiscal year. For those organizations on a calendar year fiscal year, that due date is the end of May. Cost reports are typically filed with the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) – National Government Services for New York providers – who may suspend payments to providers that fail to file their reports by the due date.

Part A providers have a new option to submit Medicare cost reports through a national web portal. The Medicare Cost Report e-Filing (MCReF) system became available in May 2018 and can be used for cost reporting periods ending on or after Dec. 31, 2017. New electronic signature functionality provides the option to electronically transmit cost reports through MCReF or to mail or hand deliver it to your MAC, as has been required until now. A Medicare Learning Network fact sheet outlines the process and is available here. A set of slides providing greater detail is available here.

Low volume Medicare providers should keep in mind that the eligibility for applying for low utilization waivers has changed: to qualify, CHHAs and nursing homes must have net Medicare reimbursement (Part A + B) of $200,000 or less.

Please note that 2017 Medicaid cost reports are due a bit later: the Department of Health (DOH) has set the nursing home, CHHA, and personal care Medicaid cost report due date as July 16, 2018. A session on cost report preparation will be part of the upcoming CFO Council Meetings in Albany and Syracuse.

Contact: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8841