Mr. Tzvi Gross of our Administration team is always on the lookout for newsworthy items pertaining to our industry. Recently, he sent me this memo:

CMS clarifies Medicare payment rules for SNF to SNF ambulance transportation.A skilled nursing facility discharging a Medicare Part A resident to another SNF is responsible for ambulance transportation fees, and no separate Part B claim should be made for that service, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid stated in a recent memorandum.

Recovery audit contractors have determined, based on claims data, that some suppliers are inappropriately billing Medicare Part B for SNF to SNF transports, according to the CMS memo.

“Ambulance transportation and related ambulance services for residents in a Part A stay are included in the SNF PPS rate and may not be billed as Part B services by the supplier,” the Nov. 6 transmittal states.

Tzvi, I would just remind you that this memo is kind of moot with respect to Regency Postacute Centers, since we do not ever send out our patients to other SNF’s, but actually accept patients who are looking to transfer to us from other facilities. Patients look to upgrade to us from other facilities, so the flow is one directional.

Therefore (for example), for the resident we will be receiving tomorrow at Regency Park in Hazlet and transferring to us from the Madison Nursing Center in Matawan, the prior SNF (Madison Center in this case) will be responsible to pick up the transport tab.