COVID-19 Tracking Expenses Guidance
Mueller Prost Healthcare Reimbursement Professionals are participating on State Healthcare Association emergency committees to identify what will show “real data” as to the increase costs to post-acute providers associated with COVID-19.
As many states and federal agencies will be looking to distribute additional grants and funding to aide in increased expenses associated with COVID-19, Mueller Prost is issuing a strong recommendation that if you haven’t started already doing so, please create a new general ledger account for all COVID-19 related expenses to your organization.
Some guidance on what to track:
- Create separate cost centers or other ways to segregate COVID-19 expenses from normal operating expenses.
- Track staffing related costs, including but not limited to:
- Contract Labor
- Overtime
- Additional staffing to care for higher acuity residents
- Additional staffing to provide in providing meals in resident rooms
- Additional staff for infection control procedures
- Additional security costs and administration costs to enforce screening requirement for staff and visitors
- Additional wages in the form of “hazard pay” to get people to come to work.
- Payroll tax and benefit related costs
- Any additional costs related to staff testing and illness
- Childcare for workers whose schools have shut down and have nowhere for the children to go during the day.
- Extended leave pays for workers who get sick or their family gets sick (family leave act).
- Any purchase order for COVID-19 related items including, but not limited to:
- Additional over-the-counter medication, Most prescription medications should be covered by healthcare authority
- Masks, gowns other supplies
- Cleaning supplies
- Potential costs when residents/patients pass with no family available
- Additional costs in getting everyday supplies
- Additional costs for staff related meals for staff that are unable to leave the facility
- Communications related costs
- Additional costs for not being able to enter home to provide care
- Medically necessary clinical diagnostic laboratory tests
- Infection control related citations and fines.
- Increased re-hospitalization penalties
- Additional hospital visits that may lower the quality score
Maintain all supporting documentation as appropriate to the underlying costs above (payrolls, checks, invoices and contracts).

