[June 8, 2020] Indiana Medicaid Clarifies How to “De-Attest” COVID-Ready Status

In May Indiana Medicaid announced a 2% rate increase for nursing facilities that attested to being COVID-Ready.  Since that time, several facilities have found that they either received the enhanced 2% rate without actually knowing they selected to be COVID-Ready or knowingly selected this option but later decided against it.  One of the main elements of concern of being COVID-Ready, thereby qualifying for the 2% rate enhancement, is the attestation that the facility will admit new COVID-19 positive residents even if the facility is COVID-free.

To “de-attest” to the COVID-Ready attestation, a nursing facility must email Derris Harrison, Director of LTC Reimbursement at Indiana Medicaid (Derris.Harrison@fssa.IN.gov) that the facility no longer wants to be designated as COVID-Ready.  This “de-attestation” will end the 2% rate increase, but when that rate increase would end depends on whether the selection of COVID-Ready status was a mistake or if the facility has changed its position on being COVID-Ready.   The process is as follows:

• Mistaken Selection as COVID-Ready.  Nursing facilities that indicate to OMPP that their COVID-Ready selection was a mistake will have their rate adjusted with the 2% taken back to the effective date of the first 2% payment.  Facilities that made a COVID-Ready attestation in May were eligible for the 2% back to May 1^st, and facilities that made the attestation in June or after get the 2% as of the attestation date.  OMPP will provide instructions on claims reprocessing, but the 2% would be taken back through an offset of a future remittance advice.
• Facility Decides to not be COVID-Ready.  Nursing facilities that were once COVID-Ready but later decided to not be COVID-Ready, that facility must specify the end date in the communication to Derris Harrison.  That end date will be used to end the 2%, and depending on claims paid with the 2% an offset of a future remittance advice would take place from the election date to the selected end date.

Derris Harrison at Indiana Medicaid is available for specific and additional questions.