Last week, the state Department of Health (DOH) and its contractor KPMG held a session to relaunch the roll out of a new Home Care Cost Report that will be required for Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs), non-hospital-based Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs) and Fiscal Intermediaries (FIs).
In this session, DOH reviewed the purpose of the cost report and activities that will lead to its submission by organizations, including: a statewide outreach session on June 2; web-based tool walk-through videos in early June; monthly statewide sessions from June to October; an audit webinar in mid-August; and a submission deadline of October 31.
On June 3, KPMG will email login credentials for agencies to access the cost report web-based tool. The e-mail will come from the following address: no-reply@avii.com. Agencies should take action to ensure that this message is not blocked by their e-mail filters. If agencies don’t receive this message on June 3, they should send an e-mail to us-advrisknyshc@kpmg.com. Agencies can also request that others in their agency or a consultant is given login credentials by sending an e-mail to us-advrisknyshc@kpmg.com after June 3.
Once logged in, providers should then complete the “Reporting Hierarchy and General Questionnaire” tab that will allow them to access the “Cost Report Schedules” tab containing the cost report schedules to complete. Further navigation instructions can be found on the “Instructions” tab of the tool and will also be covered during the June 2 outreach session.
The June 2 webinar (2 to 4 p.m.) is accessible here (no registration required). It will take a deeper dive into the cost report, similar to earlier programs held by DOH and KPMG in New York City, Rochester and Utica.
The web-based tool walkthrough videos will include information on the following areas: logging in, reviewing instructions, and navigating FAQs; cost report schedule functionality walkthroughs; and a walkthrough of steps to finalize and submit the cost report, including how to print versions directly from the tool.
The audit webinar will cover: a walkthrough of the audit process; KPMG and provider expectations; and expected milestones and due dates.
Provider outreach sessions will be held one to two times per month to communicate updates, address questions, and discuss specific components of the cost report and/or web-based tool.
On last week’s session, KPMG said it will not be executing full desk and field audit assignments for the 2019 cost report. Audit procedures will be focused on identifying opportunities for increased compliance and provider education, not rate adjustments. The audit period is November through December 2020, though KPMG will begin conducting audits before November for those agencies that submit the cost report before the October 31 deadline.
Other important information:
- Assisted Living Program (ALP) only agencies, private pay only agencies, and hospital-based CHHAs are not required to complete the cost report.
- The 2019 cost report submissions will be used to set Medicaid fee-for-service 2021 rates.
- DOH will use January and February 2021 for the rate-setting period, but the rates will be retroactively implemented with an effective date of January 1, 2021.