4.1 Background
4.1.1 Hospitals are authorized TRICARE
institutional providers under 10 United States Code (USC) 1079(j)(2) and
(4). Under 10 USC 1079(j)(2), the amount to be paid to hospitals,
Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), and other institutional providers
under TRICARE, “shall be determined to the extent practicable in
accordance with the same reimbursement rules as apply to payments
to providers of services of the same type under [Medicare].”. Under
32 CFR 199.14(a)(1)(ii)(D)(1) through
(9) it specifically lists those hospitals
that are exempt from the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG)-based payment
system. Prior to December 1, 2009, CAHs were not listed as excluded,
thereby making them subject to the DRG-based payment system.
4.1.2 Legislation enacted as part of
the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 authorized states to establish State
Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Programs (MRHFPs), under which
certain facilities participating in Medicare could become CAHs.
CAHs represent a separate provider type with their own Medicare
conditions of participation as well as a separate payment method.
Since that time, a number of hospitals, acute care and general,
as well as Sole Community Hospitals (SCHs), have taken the necessary
steps to be designated as CAHs. Since the statutory authority requires
TRICARE to apply the same reimbursement rules as apply to payments
to providers of services of the same type under Medicare to the
extent practicable, effective December 1, 2009, TRICARE is exempting
CAHs from the DRG-based payment system and adopting a reasonable
cost method similar to Medicare principles for reimbursing CAHs.
To be eligible as a CAH, a facility
must shall be
a currently participating Medicare hospital, a hospital that ceased
operations on or after November 29, 1989, or a health clinic or
health center that previously operated as a hospital before being
downsized to a health clinic or health center. The facility
must shall be
located in a rural area of a State that has established a MRHFP,
or
must shall be
located in a Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) of such a State
and be treated as being located in a rural area based on a law or
regulation of the State, as described in 42 CFR 412.103. It also
must shall be
located more than a 35-mile drive from any other hospital or CAH unless
it is designated by the State, prior to January 1, 2006, to be a
“necessary provider”. In mountainous terrain or in areas with only
secondary roads available, the mileage criterion is 15 miles. In
addition, the facility
must shall make
available 24-hour emergency care services, provide not more than
25 beds for acute (hospital-level) inpatient care or in the case
of a CAH with a swing bed agreement, swing beds used for SNF-level
care. The CAH maintains a Length-Of-Stay (LOS), as determined on
an annual average basis, of no longer than 96 hours. The facility
is also required to meet the conditions of participation for CAHs
(42 CFR Part 485, Subpart F). Designation by the State is not sufficient
for CAH status. To participate and be paid as a CAH, a facility
must shall be
certified as a CAH by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS).
For temporary waivers of certain participation
requirements as a result of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), see the
TRICARE Policy Manual (TPM), Chapter 1, Section 15.1.
4.2 Scope of Benefits
4.2.1 Inpatient
Services
4.2.1.1 For admissions on or after
December 1, 2009, payment for inpatient services of a CAH other
than services of a distinct part unit, shall be reimbursed 101%
of reasonable costs. Reference
paragraph 4.3 for information on the reasonable
cost method.
4.2.1.2 Items and services that a CAH
provides to its inpatients shall be covered if they are items and
services of a type that would be covered if furnished by an acute
care hospital to its inpatients. A CAH may use its inpatient facilities
to provide post-hospital SNF care and be paid for SNF-level services
if it meets the following requirements:
• The facility has been certified
as a CAH by CMS;
• The facility operates up to
25 beds for either acute (CAH) care or SNF swing bed care; and
• The facility has been granted
swing-bed approval by CMS.
4.2.1.3 Payment for post-hospital SNF
care furnished by a CAH, shall be reimbursed under the reasonable cost
method.
4.2.1.4 Payment to a CAH for inpatient
services shall not include any costs of physician services or other professional
services to CAH inpatients. Payment for professional medical services
furnished in a CAH to CAH inpatients shall be made on a fee schedule,
charge, or other fee basis, as would apply if the services had been furnished
in a Hospital Outpatient Department (HOPD). For purposes of CAH
payment, professional medical services are defined as services provided
by a physician or other practitioner, e.g., a Physician Assistant
(PA) or a Nurse Practitioner (NP). These services are to be billed
on the CMS 1500 Claim Form using the appropriate Healthcare Common
Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code or a UB-04 using the appropriate
HCPCS code and professional revenue codes.
4.2.1.5 A CAH may establish psychiatric
and rehabilitation distinct part units effective for cost reporting periods.
The CAH distinct part units
must shall meet
the following requirements:
• The facility distinct part
unit has been certified as a CAH by CMS;
• The distinct part unit meets
the conditions of participation requirements for hospitals;
• The distinct part unit must shall also
meet the requirements, other than conditions of participation requirements,
that would apply if the unit were established in an acute care hospital;
• Inpatient services provided
in psychiatric distinct part units are subject to the CHAMPUS mental
health per diem system and inpatient services provided in rehabilitation
distinct part units shall be reimbursed based on billed charges
or set rates.
• Beds in these distinct part
units are excluded from the 25 bed count limit for CAHs;
• The bed limitations for each
distinct part unit is 10.
• CAHs are not subject to the
lesser of cost or charges principle.
4.2.2 Outpatient Services
4.2.2.1 Outpatient services including
ambulatory surgery, provided by a CAH shall be reimbursed 101% of reasonable
costs. Reference
paragraph 4.3 for information on the reasonable
cost method.
4.2.2.2 Payment to a CAH for outpatient
services shall not include any costs of physician services or other professional
services to CAH outpatients. Payment for professional medical services
furnished in a CAH to CAH outpatients shall be made on a fee schedule,
charge, or other fee basis, as would apply if the services had been furnished
in a HOPD. For purposes of CAH payment, professional medical services
are defined as services provided by a physician or other practitioner,
e.g., a PA or a NP. These services are to be billed on a CMS 1500
Claim Form using appropriate HCPCS code or a UB-04 using the appropriate
HCPCS code and professional revenue code.
4.2.2.3 Payment for clinical diagnostic
laboratory tests shall be reimbursed under the reasonable cost method
only if the individuals are outpatients of the CAH and are physically
present in the CAH at the time the specimens are collected (bill
type 85X). A CAH cannot seek reasonable cost reimbursement for tests
provided to individuals in locations such as rural health clinics,
the individual’s home or SNF. Individuals in these locations are non-patients
of a CAH and their lab test would be categorized as “referenced
lab tests” for the non-patients bill type 14X), and shall be paid
under the CHAMPUS Maximum Allowable Charge (CMAC).
4.2.2.4 Multi-day supplies of take-home
oral anti-cancer drugs, oral anti-emetic drugs, and immunosuppressive
drugs, as well as the associated supplying fees and all inhalation
drugs and the associated dispensing fees shall be paid under the
allowable charge method. The associated supplying and dispensing
fees
must shall be
billed on the same claim as the drug. Hospitals shall submit a separate
claim for these services on a CMS 1500 Claim Form identifying the
specific drugs and supplies. The drugs
should shall be
identified by both the appropriate
J code and National
Drug Code (NDC).
Note: When an
outpatient service includes an oral anti-cancer drug, oral anti-emetic
drug or immunosuppressive drug, so long as no more than one day’s
drug supply (i.e.g.,
only today’s) is given to the beneficiary, and the beneficiary receives
additional services, the claim shall be processed and paid under
the reasonable cost method. Inhalation drugs that are an integral
part of a hospital procedure (inpatient or outpatient) shall also
be processed and paid under the reasonable cost method, when billed
in conjunction with other services on the same day.
4.2.2.5 Authorized Partial Hospitalization
Programs (PHPs) shall be reimbursed under the reasonable cost method.
4.2.2.6 CAHs are not subject to the
lesser of cost or charges principle.
4.2.3 Ambulance
Services
4.2.3.1 Ambulance services furnished
by CAHs exempt from the allowable charge methodology, are paid under
the reasonable cost method.
4.2.3.2 Effective for services provided
on or after October 1, 2013, ambulance services furnished by CAHs exempt
from the Medicare Ambulance Fee Schedule (AFS)/TRICARE CMAC (see
Chapter 1, Section 14), are paid under the
reasonable cost method.
4.2.3.3 To be exempt, the provider must shall “self-attest”
on each claim by using the B2 Condition Code. This
self-attestation indicates compliance with the eligibility criteria
included in 42 CFR 413.70(b)(5) and requires the provider to be
the only provider or supplier of ambulance services located within
a 35 mile drive of the CAH. Additionally, if there is no provider
or supplier of ambulance services located within a 35 mile drive
of the CAH, but there is an entity owned and operated by the CAH
located more than a 35 mile drive from the CAH, that CAH-owned and
operated entity can only be paid 101% of reasonable costs for its
ambulance services if it is the closest provider or supplier of
ambulance services to the CAH. Under TRICARE, these ambulance services
shall be reimbursed using the hospital’s outpatient Cost-to-Charge
Ratio (CCR).
4.2.3.4 Reasonable cost will be determined
without regard to any per-trip limits or fee schedule that would otherwise
apply. The distance between the CAH or entity and the other provider
or supplier of ambulance services will be determined as the shortest
distance in miles measured over improved roads between the CAH or
the entity and the site at which the vehicles of the nearest provider
or supplier of ambulance services are garaged. An improved road
is any road that is maintained by a local, state, or federal Government
entity and is available for use by the general public. An improved
road includes the paved surface up to the front entrance of the
CAH and the front entrance of the garage.
Note: CAHs that are not exempt from
the allowable charge methodology or the Medicare AFS/CMAC (as described
in
Chapter 1, Section 14), may not report Condition
Code
B2.
4.3
Reasonable
Cost Methodology
Reasonable
cost is based on the actual cost of providing services and excluding
any costs, that are unnecessary in the efficient delivery of services
covered by the program.
4.3.1 DHA shall
calculate an overall inpatient CCR and overall outpatient CCR, obtained
from data on the hospital’s most recently filed Medicare cost report
as of July 1 of each year.
4.3.2 TheCalculate
the inpatient and outpatient CCRs are
calculated using Medicare charges, i.e.g.,
Medicare costs for outpatient services are derived by multiplying
an overall hospital outpatient CCR (by department or cost center)
by Medicare charges in the same category.
4.3.3 The following
methods are used by DHA to calculate the CCRs for CAHs. The worksheet
and column references are to the CMS Form 2552-96 (Cost Report for
Electronic Filing of Hospitals).
|
Inpatient CCRs
|
|
Numerator
|
Medicare costs were defined
as Worksheet D-1, Part II, line 49 MINUS (worksheet D, Part III, Column
8, sum of lines 25-30 PLUS Worksheet D, Part IV, line 101).
|
|
Denominator
|
Medicare charges were defined
as Worksheet D-4, Column 2, sum of lines 25-30 and 103.
|
|
Outpatient CCRs
|
|
Numerator
|
Outpatient costs were taken
from Worksheet D, Part V, line 104, the sum of Columns 6, 7, 8,
and 9.
|
|
Denominator
|
Total outpatient charges were
taken from the same Worksheet D, Part V, line 104, sum of Columns 2,
3, 4, and 5 for the same breakdowns.
|
4.3.4 To
reimburse the vast majority of CAHs for all their costs in an administratively
feasible manner, TRICARE will identify CCRs that are outliers using
the method used by Medicare to identify outliers in its Outpatient Prospective
Payment System (OPPS) reimbursement methods. Specifically, Medicare
classifies CCR outliers as values that fall outside of three standard
deviations from the geometric mean. Applying this method to the
CAH data, those limits will be considered the threshold limits on
the CCR for reimbursement purposes. If a hospital’s CCR exceeds
the outlier threshold, the CCR is replaced with the statewide median
CCR. The 101% of reasonable cost is determined by taking the applicable
CCR (hospital specific or statewide median listed in the CAH CCR
file sent to the contractors by DHA) multiplied by billed charges,
which are then multiplied by 101%. The CAH Fiscal Year (FY) is effective
on December 1 of each year.
4.3.5 DHA will
provide a list of CAHs to the contractor with their corresponding
inpatient and outpatient CCRs by November 1 each year. Based on
the requirement in
paragraph 4.3.4, CCRs with outliers have been replaced
with the statewide median CCRs. The CCRs shall be updated on an
annual basis using the second quarter CMS Hospital Cost Report Information
System (HCRIS) data. The updated CCRs shall be effective as of December
1 of each respective year, with the first update occurring December
1, 2009.
4.3.6 DHA will also provide the contractor
the State median inpatient and outpatient CAH CCRs to use when a
hospital specific CCR is not available.
4.4 General Temporary Military
Contingency Payment Adjustment (GTMCPA) Payments
4.4.1 The
Director, DHA (or designee), may approve a GTMCPA payment based
on all of the following:
• The hospital serves a disproportionate
share of Service members and Active Duty Dependents (ADDs), i.e.,
10% or more of an CAH’s total admissions are for Service members
and ADDs;
• The hospital is a TRICARE network
hospital;
• The hospital’s actual costs
for inpatient services exceed TRICARE payments or other extraordinary
economic circumstance exists; and
• Without the GTMCPA payment,
Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) ability to meet military contingency
mission requirements will be significantly compromised.
4.4.2 Following is the GTMCPA payment
process for the first TRICARE CAHs.
4.4.2.1 The hospital may submit a request
for a discretionary GTMCPA payment to their contractor. The request must shall be
made to the contractor within 12 months of the end of the CAH year
(December 1 through November 30) for which the hospital is requesting
a GTMCPA payment. For example, a hospital must shall submit
a request for a GTMCPA payment for the CAH year ending November
30, 2016, by November 30, 2017. Late submissions or requests for
extensions will not be considered. Hospitals will be given a grace
period of six months from January 1, 2017, ending June 30, 2017,
to submit GTMCPA payment requests for CAH years ending on or before
November 30, 2015.
4.4.2.2 The
hospital shall submit the following information to the contractor
for review and consideration:
• The total number of inpatient
admissions during the previous TRICARE CAH year and the number of
Service member and ADD admissions for this same period. Hospitals
shall not include admissions by non-ADSM or non-ADFM beneficiaries
(i.e.g., retiree
or retiree dependents), TRICARE for Life (TFL) beneficiaries, overseas beneficiaries,
or beneficiaries with Other Health Insurance (OHI). Only inpatient
admissions should shall be reported.
Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) Service member and
ADD inpatient admissions visits may be included in the hospital’s
submission if the visits were paid utilizing the CAH Reimbursement
System, but shall be separately identified by the hospital.
• A full 12 months of claims
payment data for the previous TRICARE CAH year.
4.4.2.3 The contractor shall perform
a thorough evaluation of the hospital’s request in
paragraph 4.4.2.2. The evaluation shall consist
of the following:
4.4.2.3.1 The contractor shall evaluate
the hospital’s package for completeness, including verifying the hospital
has provided all components in
paragraph 4.4.2.2.
4.4.2.3.2 The contractor shall perform
a validation that the hospital meets the disproportionate share criteria.
4.4.2.3.2.1 The contractor shall independently
calculate the number of ADD/Service member inpatient admissions,
utilizing the contractor’s data systems, and divide it by the total
CAH inpatient admissions reported by the hospital in
paragraph 4.4.2.2.
4.4.2.3.2.2 The contractor shall compare
this result to the hospital’s submission in
paragraph 4.4.2.2 to ensure
the hospital met the disproportionate share criteria in
paragraph 4.4.1.
4.4.2.3.2.3 The contractor shall work with
the hospital to resolve discrepancies in the reported data prior
to submission of the request to DHA if the hospital’s data show
that they qualify, but the contractor’s data show that they do not.
4.4.2.3.3 The
contractor shall perform an evaluation to determine if the hospital
is essential for continued network adequacy and is needed to support
military contingency mission requirements.
4.4.2.3.4 The contractor shall report
the following data elements for the prior CAH year, as well as provide
a brief narrative with supporting rationale, describing why the
hospital is essential for continued network adequacy and why a GTMCPA
payment is needed to maintain this continued network adequacy.
• Number of acute care hospitals
and beds in the network locality;
• Efforts that have been made
to create an adequate network;
• Availability and types of services
of military acute care services in the locations or nearby; and
• Other cost effective alternatives
and other relevant factors.
The contractor shall
submit all documentation in
paragraphs 4.4.2.2 and
4.4.2.3.3 to
the Government Designated Authority (GDA), if the contractor’s independent
analysis shows that: (1) the hospital met the disproportionate share
criteria; and (2) the hospital is essential for continued network
adequacy. If the hospital fails to meet the disproportionate share
criteria or is not essential for continued network adequacy, the
contractor shall notify the GDA of their findings, but will not
submit the full request for a GTMCPA payment to the GDA unless requested
by the GDA.
4.4.3 The GDA shall perform a thorough
review and analysis of the hospital’s submission and the contractor’s review,
utilizing any DHA data the GDA deems necessary, to determine if
the hospital meets the four criteria listed in
paragraph 4.4.1 and qualifies
for a GTMCPA payment. If the hospital qualifies, the GTMCPA payment
will be set, utilizing DHA data, so the hospital’s Payment-to-Cost
Ratio (PCR) for TRICARE inpatient hospital services does not exceed
a ratio of 1.15. A hospital shall not be approved for a GTMCPA if
the payment
would result
s in
the hospital’s PCR exceeding 1.15. The GDA shall forward their recommendation
for approval of the GTMCPA payment and the recommended percentage
adjustment to the Director, DHA. Disapprovals by the GDA will not
be forwarded to the Director, DHA, for review and approval.
The Calculate
the PCR
shall be calculated as
follows:
4.4.3.1 Step 1. Determine actual TRICARE
CAH payments, excluding OHI and USFHP claims. The CAH GTMCPA payment
is specific to the CAH reimbursement system and there is no authority
to include non-CAH paid amounts in the PCR calculation. Claims for
beneficiaries with OHI, claims for beneficiaries with USFHP, claims
for ineligible beneficiaries, duplicate claims, and denied claims
shall not be included in the calculation.
4.4.3.2 Step 2. Determine the hospital’s
costs, by identifying the billed charges for all non-OHI, non-USFHP CAH
inpatient claims. There is no authority to include non-CAH amounts
in the PCR calculation. Claims for beneficiaries with OHI, claims
for beneficiaries with USFHP, claims for ineligible beneficiaries,
duplicate claims, and denied claims shall not be included in the
calculation.
4.4.3.3 Step 3. Divide Step 1 by Step
2.
4.4.3.4 Step 4. If the amount in Step
3 is lower than 1.15 the hospital may receive a payment so that
total TRICARE payments are equal to or less than 115% of their costs.
The percentage used is at the discretion of the Director, DHA.
4.4.4 CAH payments for the qualifying
hospital will be increased by the Director, DHA, or designee, at
his or her discretion by way of an additional GTMCPA payment after
the end of the TRICARE CAH year (December 1 through November 30).
Subsequent adjustments to the GTMCPA payment will be issued to the
qualifying hospital for the prior CAH year, when requested by the
hospital, to ensure claims that were paid-to-completion (PTC) the previous
year are adjusted. These adjustments separate from the applicable
GTMCPA payment approved for the current CAH year.
4.4.5 Upon approval of the GTMCPA
payment request by the Director, DHA, the GDA will notify the Contracting
Officer (CO) who will send a letter to the contractor notifying
them of the GTMCPA payment approval.
4.4.6 The contractor shall process
the GTMCPA payments per the instructions in Section G of their contracts under
Invoice and Payment Non-Underwritten - Non-TEDs, Demonstrations.
No GTMCPA payments shall be sent out without approval from DHA,
Contract Resource Management (CRM).
4.4.7 DHA will send an approval to
the contractors to issue GTMCPA payments out of the non-financially underwritten
bank account based on fund availability.
4.4.8 GTMCPA payments shall be reviewed
and approved on an annual basis; i.e., they will have to be evaluated
on a yearly basis by the GDA in order to determine if the hospital
continues to serve a disproportionate share of Service members and
ADDs and whether there are any other special circumstances significantly
affecting military contingency capabilities.
4.4.9 The Director, DHA (or designee),
is the final approval authority for GTMCPA payments. A decision
by the Director, DHA (or designee), to approve, reject, adopt, modify,
or extend GTMCPA payments is not subject to the appeal and hearing
procedures in
32 CFR 199.10.
4.4.10 DHA, upon request, will provide
the detailed claims data used to calculate the hospital’s PCR and maximum
GTMCPA payment, if any, to the requesting hospital through the contractor.
4.4.11 GTMCPAs may be extended to
CAH facilities that have changed their status during the CAH GTMCPA year.
If an CAH network facility changes their status during the CAH year,
and the facility was and remained a network facility that is essential
for military readiness, contingency operations, and network adequacy
and the facility served a disproportionate share of Service members
and ADDs during the period of the year it was subject to CAH reimbursement,
then a prorated CAH GTMCPA may be authorized. Any CAH adjustment
will only apply to CAH payments.
4.5 CAH
Listing
4.5.1 CAHs are reimbursed under the
reasonable cost method.
4.5.2 The effective
date on the CAH list is the date supplied by the CMS upon which
the facility began receiving reimbursement from Medicare as a CAH.
If a CAH is added or dropped off of the list from the previous update,
the quarterly revision date of the current listing shall be listed
as the facility’s effective or termination date, respectively.
4.5.3 The contractor shall determine
whether a hospital has been designated as an CAH under CMS and to reimburse
them in accordance with the provisions of this policy.
4.5.4 The contractor shall maintain
accurate network status of CAH in its geographical area of responsibility. DHA
will no longer update and maintain the CAH listing on DHA’s website.
4.5.5 The contractor shall take the
steps needed to ensure they are identifying and reimbursing CAHs appropriately.
This may include referencing CMS’ list of CAH’s on the Flex Monitoring
website at
http://www.flexmonitoring.org,
contacting hospitals in its geographical area of responsibility
to verify hospital status, or some other action to meet this requirement.
On the Flex Monitoring website, the CAH list is located under the
Data tab and includes effective dates. CAHs are identified by the
number 13 in the third and fourth digits of a six-digit Medicare
provider number.
4.6 Billing
and Coding Requirements
4.6.1 The contractor
shall use type of institution 93 for CAHs.
4.6.2 CAHs shall utilize use bill
type 11X for inpatient services.
4.6.3 CAHs shall utilize use bill
type 85X for all outpatient services including services approved
as Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) services.
4.6.4 CAHs shall utilize use bill
type 12X for ancillary/ambulance services.
4.6.5 CAHs shall utilize use bill
type 14X for non-patient diagnostic services.
4.6.6 CAHs shall use bill type 18X
for swing bed services.