This patch includes:
1) updated Medicare PDPM rates and wage index tables,
2) software updates that extend the emergency Covid CMS waiver until October 2022, and
3) updates for the NYS Health Care Workers Bonus (HWB) Program
Medicare PDPM Rates and Wage Index Update
PDPM went into effect starting October 1, 2019. Each October CMS updates the associated PDPM rates for Urban and Rural facilities along with the wage index for each county. The tables required to calculate expected PDPM payments have been downloaded as part of this release. For fiscal year 2023, the VBP Multiplier has been set to 0.992 for all facilities. The only exception is SNFs subject to the low-volume scoring adjustment, which would receive 100 percent of their 2 percent withhold. The appropriate VBP Multiplier has also been loaded as part of this release.
Please note that the software updates the wage index based on the Urban or Rural Indicator and CBSA code on file in User Parameters [UP, screen #3].
Change Table File [CTF] – 8, 34 – Wage Index / VBP Table for fiscal 2023.
The Wage index and VBP Multiplier should have been set upon loading the update.
Covid Emergency Order Extended Once Again
The public health emergency surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic was set to expire on July 15, 2022. The Department of Health and Human Services has extended the emergency declaration for another 90 days. The extension is effective January 15, 2022 and extends the emergency into mid October. The CHARTS software has been adjusted accordingly.
NYS Health Care Workers Bonus (HWB) Program
As part of the 2022-2023 enacted New York State Budget, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature allocated $1.2 billion in funding to the NYS Health Care Worker Bonus (HWB) program for the payment of bonuses for certain frontline health care workers. The bonus claim process requires all qualified employees to sign an attestation that confirms their wages from all sources in connection with their eligibility for the workforce bonus. We have updated the CHARTS software to allow for the facility to maintain information as to which employees have completed an attestation form. The software will also create an Excel file that can be downloaded to the HWB portal.
We have included FMLA dates on the screen, since FMLA time off is also included in average hours for the Health Care Workers Bonus calculation.
Auxiliary Employee Information – AUXINFO [PR, 8, 1, 2, 15]
Change Table File [CTF, 10, 1] – Department Table and [CTF, 10, 3] – Earnings and Deduction Table
This program has been modified to allow for a ‘HWB Title’ that will be included in the .csv file that CHARTS will create. Please use PF key ‘2’ to view the various department titles and select the appropriate one.
A list of all HWB Titles is available from DOH or can be viewed within CHARTS from PRINTTF [PTF, 18, 22].
The Earnings and Deductions Table should also be modified to indicate which hours and pay amounts should be included in the HWB calculations. These should be explicitly set to ‘Y’ or ‘N’ by the facility for both hours and pay. For example Overtime hours would be included in hours worked, but overtime pay would be excluded from the $62,500 limit. [The system will default to ACA hours if these fields are left blank, which may or not be accurate as far as the HWB calculations are concerned.]
NYS HWB Eligibility Check – ELIG4HWB [PR, 9, 15, 10 ]
This report serves two purposes. It allows the facility to view a list of employees that are active during the vesting period and displays either that they are eligible for the HWB bonus or lists the reasons why they are not eligible for the bonus. The report also can be used to auto update the Auxiliary Employee Information screen so that the facility does not have to enter that information on an individual basis. Important: Please note that when using the auto update feature, if an attestation form has not been received by the facility, the facility will need to manually modify the Auxiliary Employee Information data to remove the attestation indicator for that vesting period.
NYS HWB Report – NYHWB [PR, 9, 15, 9 ]
This program creates a csv file that can be copied into the template that is provided by DOH and can then be sent to DOH via their portal.
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