The fiscal year (FY) 2016 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update final rule included a change to align the inpatient and aggregate cap accounting year with the federal fiscal year of September 30 beginning in FY 2017. This change moves the due date to file a self-determined inpatient and aggregate cap determination from March 31 to February 28 for cap years 2017 and beyond.
The following summarizes FY 2016 to 2018 cap timeframes for counting beneficiaries and payments.
_______________Beneficiaries________________
| Cap Year | Streamlined Method | Patient-by-Patient Proportional Method |
| 2016 | 09/28/15 – 09/27/16 | 11/01/15 – 10/31/16 |
| 2017 | 09/28/16 – 09/30/17 | 11/01/16 – 09/30/17 |
| 2018 | 10/01/17 – 09/30/18 | 10/01/17 – 09/30/18 |
________________Payments__________________
| Cap Year | Streamlined Method | Patient-by-Patient Proportional Method |
| 2016 | 11/1/15 – 10/31/16 | 11/01/15 – 10/31/16 |
| 2017 | 11/1/16 – 09/30/17 | 11/01/16 – 09/30/17 |
| 2018 | 10/01/17 – 09/30/18 | 10/01/17 – 09/30/18 |
If you have any questions or would like assistance completing your 2017 Self-Determined Hospice Cap form due February 28, 2018, please contact our Albany office at (229) 883-7878 or our Atlanta office at (404) 220-8494.