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).