PAYMENT TO PROVIDERS OF SERVICES

Sec. 1815. [42 U.S.C. 1395g] (a) The Secretary shall periodically determine the amount which should be paid under this part to each provider of services with respect to the services furnished by it, and the provider of services shall be paid, at such time or times as the Secretary believes appropriate (but not less often than monthly) and prior to audit or settlement by the General Accounting Office^[34], from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, the amounts so determined, with necessary adjustments on account of previously made overpayments or underpayments; except that no such payments shall be made to any provider unless it has furnished such information as the Secretary may request in order to determine the amounts due such provider under this part for the period with respect to which the amounts are being paid or any prior period.

(b)[35] No payment shall be made to a provider of services which is a hospital for or with respect to services furnished by it for any period with respect to which it is deemed, under section 1861(w)(2), to have in effect an arrangement with a quality improvement organization for the conduct of utilization review activities by such organization unless such hospital has paid to such organization the amount due (as determined pursuant to such section) to such organization for the review activities conducted by it pursuant to such arrangements or such hospital has provided assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that such organization will promptly be paid the amount so due to it from the proceeds of the payment claimed by the hospital. Payment under this title for utilization review activities provided by a quality improvement organization pursuant to an arrangement or deemed arrangement with a hospital under section 1861(w)(2) shall be calculated without any requirement that the reasonable cost of such activities be apportioned among the patients of such hospital, if any, to whom such activities were not applicable.

(c) No payment which may be made to a provider of services under this title for any service furnished to an individual shall be made to any other person under an assignment or power of attorney; but nothing in this subsection shall be construed (1) to prevent the making of such a payment in accordance with an assignment from the provider if such assignment is made to a governmental agency or entity or is established by or pursuant to the order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (2) to preclude an agent of the provider of services from receiving any such payment if (but only if) such agent does so pursuant to an agency agreement under which the compensation to be paid to the agent for his services for or in connection with the billing or collection of payments due such provider under this title is unrelated (directly or indirectly) to the amount of such payments or the billings therefor, and is not dependent upon the actual collection of any such payment.

(d) Whenever a final determination is made that the amount of payment made under this part to a provider of services was in excess of or less than the amount of payment that is due, and payment of such excess or deficit is not made (or effected by offset) within 30 days of the date of the determination, interest shall accrue on the balance of such excess or deficit not paid or offset (to the extent that the balance is owed by or owing to the provider) at a rate determined in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury applicable to charges for late payments.

(e)(1) The Secretary shall provide payment under this part for inpatient hospital services furnished by a subsection (d) hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(1)(B), and including a distinct psychiatric or rehabilitation unit of such a hospital) and a subsection (d) Puerto Rico hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(9)(A)) on a periodic interim payment basis (rather than on the basis of bills actually submitted) in the following cases:

(A) Upon the request of a hospital which is paid through an agency or organization with an agreement with the Secretary under section 1816, if the agency or organization, for three consecutive calendar months, fails to meet the requirements of subsection (c)(2) of such section and if the hospital meets the requirements (in effect as of October 1, 1986) applicable to payment on such a basis, until such time as the agency or organization meets such requirements for three consecutive calendar months.

(B) In the case of^[36] hospital that—

(i) has a disproportionate share adjustment percentage (as established in clause (iv) of such section)^[37] of at least 5.1 percent (as computed for purposes of establishing the average standardized amounts for discharges occurring during fiscal year 1987), and

(ii) requests payment on such basis,

but only if the hospital was being paid for inpatient hospital services on such a periodic interim payment basis as of June 30, 1987, and continues to meet the requirements (in effect as of October 1, 1986) applicable to payment on such a basis.

(i) is located in a rural area,

(ii) has 100 or fewer beds, and

(iii) requests payment on such basis,

(2) The Secretary shall provide (or continue to provide) for payment on a periodic interim payment basis (under the standards established under section 405.454(j) of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations^[38], as in effect on October 1, 1986, in the cases described in subparagraphs (A) through (D)) with respect to—

(A) inpatient hospital services of a hospital that is not a subsection (d) hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(1)(B));

(B) a hospital which is receiving payment under a State hospital reimbursement system under section 1814(b)(3) or 1886(c), if payment on a periodic interim payment basis is an integral part of such reimbursement system;

(D) hospice care; and

(E)[39] inpatient critical access hospital services;

if the provider of such services elects to receive, and qualifies for, such payments.

(3) In the case of a subsection (d) hospital or a subsection (d) Puerto Rico hospital (as defined for purposes of section 1886) which has significant cash flow problems resulting from operations of its intermediary or from unusual circumstances of the hospital’s operation, the Secretary may make available appropriate accelerated payments.

(4) A hospital created by the merger or consolidation of 2 or more hospitals or hospital campuses shall be eligible to receive periodic interim payment on the basis described in paragraph (1)(B) if—

(A) at least one of the hospitals or campuses received periodic interim payment on such basis prior to the merger or consolidation; and

(B) the merging or consolidating hospitals or campuses would each meet the requirement of paragraph (1)(B)(i) if such hospitals or campuses were treated as independent hospitals for purposes of this title.

^[34] P.L. 108-271, §8(b), provided that “Any reference to the General Accounting Office in any law, rule, regulation, certificate, directive, instruction, or other official paper in force on the date of enactment of this Act (July 7, 2004) shall be considered to refer and apply to the Government Accountability Office.”

^[35] P.L. 112-40, §261(a)(3)(B), struck out “quality control and peer review” and inserted “quality improvement” in two places in this subsection; applicable to contracts entered into or renewed on or after January 1, 2012.

^[36] As in original.

^[37] See §1886(d)(5)(F)(iv).

^[38] See Vol. II, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 42.

^[39] See Vol. II, P.L. 108-173, §405(c)(2), with respect to the development of alternative timing methods of periodic interim payments.

Compilation of the Social Security Laws

PAYMENT TO PROVIDERS OF SERVICES