Reimbursement cuts are less than three months away for any SNF that does not submit required quality data, says CMS.
Beginning with FY 2018 (October 1), and each subsequent year, if a SNF does not submit required quality data, their payment rates for the year are reduced by 2 percentage points for that fiscal year.
Application of the 2 percentage reduction may result in an update that is less than 0.0 for a fiscal year and in payment rates for a fiscal year being less than such payment rates for the preceding fiscal year. In addition, reporting-based reductions to the market basket increase factor will not be cumulative; they will only apply for the FY involved.
Providers that are not compliant will be notified by their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) by letter if your SNF was non-compliant with the QRP requirements and are, therefore, subject to the 2% payment reduction.
Olivia MacDonald is on HCPro’s Long-Term Care Team. It focuses on delivering information, education, and guidance on complex topics such as MDS and care planning to help long-term care administrators and managers, reimbursement professionals, and clinical staff members break down confusing regulations into easy-to-understand processes and procedures.