CMS announces accelerated payments for healthcare providers

AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTERS ELIGIBLE FOR ACCELERATED/ADVANCE PAYMENTS DURING COVID-19 EMERGENCY

On March 28, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it had expanded its Accelerated and Advance Program to provide financial relief to a broad group of Medicare suppliers and providers. This program will increase cash flow to providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ambulatory surgical centers ARE eligible for these payments.

Ophthalmologists and ASCs have had to intensively cut back services due to the coronavirus and the revised payment policy will hopefully assist with cash flow problems that forced facilities to lay off or furlough staff and meet other expenses.

Details are provided in the CMS FACT SHEET.

Key details are as follows:

• To be eligible for advance/accelerated payments the facility must: (1) have billed Medicare for claims within 180 days immediately prior to the request; (2) not be in bankruptcy; (3) not be under medical review or program integrity investigation; and (4) not have delinquent Medicare over-payments.

• Providers must request a specific amount using a form provided on each MAC’s website (MAC contact information is provided on the Fact Sheet) and may request up to 100% of the Medicare payment amount for a three-month payment.

• MACs are expected to review and issue payments within 7 days of receipt of request.

• CMS has extended the repayment of these payments to begin 120 days after the date of issuance of the payments (with repayment of balance due 210 days after payments received.

Medicare will commence processing requests for accelerated/advance payments immediately. Please review the CMS FACT SHEET for a step-by-step guide on how to request payments.

Should you have any questions, please contact OOSS’ Washington Counsel, Michael Romansky, at mromansky@OOSS.org.