Critical Access Hospital Reimbursement & Medicare Cost Reporting Boot Camp

Financial Operations and Reimbursement

Critical Access Hospital Reimbursement & Medicare Cost Reporting Boot Camp

Classroom

Get the training and information you need to compile your annual Medicare cost report and improve Medicare reimbursements and financial operating results at your Medicare designated Critical Access Hospital.

Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) receive cost-based reimbursement for services rendered to Medicare beneficiaries. Many state Medicaid programs also reimburse on a cost basis with Medicare Advantage Plans, piggybacking on traditional Medicare CAH interim payment rates. Sound conceptual understanding of the cost-based reimbursement system, along with knowledge of the Medicare Cost Reporting forms, are essential skills for CAH C-Suites, finance and revenue cycle professionals.

This two-and-a-half-day event will begin with a high-level overview of the Medicare program’s cost-based reimbursement methodology, CAH operational issues impacting cost-based reimbursement, unique payment issues and how service line additions impact CAH reimbursement. Participants will gain a better understanding of cost reporting basics, as well as strategies to ensure an accurate and complete Medicare cost report and Medicare reimbursement.

We will then transition into a deep dive on the compilation of the Medicare cost report. Attendees will gain a comprehensive knowledge on the hospital cost report forms, data required to be reported on the cost report forms, flow of the cost report and tactics that can be employed to arrive at a more accurate Medicare cost amount. In addition, this session covers the Medicare physician fee schedule reimbursement methodology, provider-based physician practice reimbursement differentials and overview of Medicare certified rural health clinics and community health centers. (FQHCs)

Discussions will include:

Reimbursement issues specific to CAHs and working knowledge to effectuate cost reimbursement increases
Physician compensation agreements
Emergency room availability reimbursement
Cost-based reimbursement principles and how cost-based reimbursement varies from prospective payment systems
How Medicare cost-based reimbursement varies depending upon volume changes, payor mix, and expanding or contracting service lines
Medicare Advantage Plans, and other current developments affecting the CAH cost-based reimbursement
Medicare billing issues and payment issues specific to the CAH.
Comprehensive explanation of the cost report forms and data reported within the Medicare cost report
Specific cost reporting requirements along with reporting tactics and strategies that ensure CAHs receive as much cost-based reimbursement as possible within the guidelines of the Medicare cost reporting instructions and regulations.
Allowable and non-allowable costs, reporting revenues, tactics to increase cost reimbursement amounts in accordance with Medicare cost report manual instructions and regulations and other detailed cost reporting issues.

In order to be awarded the full credit hours, you must be present and participate in discussions, register your daily arrival and departure on the attendance sheets at the registration desk, and complete the evaluation for each day attended.

Agenda

19.5

CPE Credits

10/28/2025 – 10/30/2025

Ovation Healthcare Conference Center, Brentwood, TN

Accreditation

Participants will earn up to 19.5 CPE credits

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Prerequisites: None

Who Should Attend: C-Suite, finance executives, revenue cycle and reimbursement professionals, controllers, finance and accounting staff, board members and other department directors, and anyone involved in the cost report compilation process or CAH revenue cycle

Advanced Preparation: None

Program Level: Basic to Intermediate

Delivery Method: Group Live

Learning Objectives:

Learn the principles of cost-based reimbursement methodology
Understand that the Medicare Cost Report determines Medicare Cost Reimbursement
Understand how CAH volumes and payer mix changes impact CAH reimbursement from fiscal year to year, resulting in bottom line profit and or losses
Understand service line additions and service line deletions impact on CAH overall reimbursement Medicare reimbursement as well as service line Medicare net revenue
Learn about pricing in the CAH setting and how pricing impacts reimbursement, billing issues specific to CAHs, Medicare Advantage Plan issues, facility capital projects in the CAH setting and other issues unique to CAHs due to being reimbursed on a cost basis
Review Medicare cost report certification, PRRB Appeals and reporting process
Understand physician fee schedule reimbursement systems, reimbursement of provider-based practices versus free standing physician practices and overview of Medicare Certified Rural Health Clinic and Community Health Care Centers (FQHC) reimbursement systems
Develop and enhance technical knowledge of reimbursement methodologies, cost reporting requirements, underlying reporting of costs, revenues, statistics on the cost report forms, and settlement data
Learn all major worksheets included in the Medicare Cost Report, CMS Form 2552 required to be compiled by CAHs
Understand how the Medicare Costs are calculated within the cost report forms and how the various worksheets are completed and flow within the cost report
Technical understanding of multiple types of allowable versus non-allowable costs
Technical understanding of the Medicare cost report forms that allocate general service cost-center costs to patient care and non-reimbursable cost centers within the cost report
Understand how combining and reporting hospital departments into cost centers on the cost report effects Medicare cost reimbursement
Understand reporting of Medicare program revenues, patient statistics, and payment data on the appropriate worksheets and lines within the cost report forms
Learn appropriate and accepted cost allocation statistics and methodologies within the cost report
Learn cost reporting tactics to improve Medicare cost-based reimbursement as well as unintentional compilation practices that decrease Medicare cost-based reimbursement, usually without the CAH knowledge

Ovation Healthcare Learning Institute (OLI) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Presenters

We are pleased to share that Ovation Healthcare enjoys negotiated rates at two local hotels for our classroom events. The rates are first-come, first-served and based on availability.

Drury Plaza Hotel Nashville Franklin
1874 West McEwen Drive, Franklin, TN 37067
Telephone: (615) 771-6778
www.druryhotels.com

To reserve at the Ovation Healthcare discount rate please follow this link: Book Ovation Healthcare Drury Plaza Hotel Nashville Franklin. Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-325-0720 and referring to the Corporate Code 322799.

Hilton Franklin Cool Springs
601 Corporate Centre Drive, Franklin, Tennessee 37067
Telephone: (615) 771-1995
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/bnafrhh-hilton-franklin-cool-springs/

To reserve at the Ovation Healthcare discount rate please follow this link: Book Ovation Healthcare Hilton Franklin Cool Springs

Refunds and Cancellations:

OLI may cancel or reschedule a classroom program at its discretion due to unforeseen circumstances. We will use reasonable efforts to notify registrants of the cancellation or rescheduled date at least thirty (30) days in advance of the original classroom program. If OLI cancels or reschedules a classroom program, the registrant is entitled to:

a full refund of the registration fee, or
the right to transfer the registration fee to the rescheduled classroom program date

You must notify customer service immediately should you be unable to attend a classroom program in which you are registered.

Customer service may be reached at (615) 371-7979 or education@ovationhc.com from 8:30am – 4:30pm CST, Monday through Friday.

Due to the nature of live events, refunds of registration fees are not covered.

OLI will not be responsible for refunding any travel related expenses in the event of a classroom program cancellation or rescheduling.

For more information regarding refunds, program cancellation policies and/or grievances please contact our client support team at (615) 371-4842 or education@ovationhc.com.