Temporary workaround for filing CBSA codes for HHA providers (freestanding and provider-based)
Background
The update to the 2006 Home Health Agency Prospective Payment System (Federal Register Volume 70, Number 134, July 14, 2005) includes a transition from using Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) to CBSA which is used to identify the geographic locations of HHA services rendered. The MSA used a four character code to identify the geographic location of services rendered while the new CBSA code uses a five character code. The current cost reporting software does not accommodate the five character CBSA code.
Corrective Action
As a result of a delay in the issuance of revised HHA cost reporting instructions (Transmittal 13) and SNF-based HHA cost reporting instructions (Transmittal 16) to accommodate the input of CBSA codes, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is implementing an alternate methodology for capturing a variation of the five digit CBSA codes in the current HHA and SNF-based HHA software. This method will utilize the existing four positions that are currently reserved for MSA codes. This will be executed by placing the letter “X” in the first location of the MSA code field, followed by the last three digits of the CBSA code obtained from the Providers Statistical and Reimbursement report. For example, for the CBSA code 47258, the data entry will be “X258.”
Revised software to accommodate the entire 5 digit CBSA code will be available for the November 30, 2006, fiscal year end (FYE) HHAs and SNF-based HHAs, by March 31, 2007. Any cost report submitted prior to this date can be settled using the alternative methodology found above.
Page Last Updated: Thursday, 18-Mar-2010 05:48:16 CDT
