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Read this if you are at a state agency looking to implement or improve your 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

Between 2015 and 2020, one in four fatal police shootings involved a person with a mental illness, and an estimated 44% of people incarcerated in jail and 37% of people incarcerated in prison had a mental health condition. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the mental health situation in the country. 

Many people experiencing mental health distress call 911 because it is a widely known emergency number and easy to use. Recent data has shown that people using 911 to get help with serious mental illness do not get the right care at the right time and some even end up in law enforcement custody, rather than being seen by a mental health professional.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) is the new three-digit, nationwide phone number that is locally operated and offers 24/7 access via call, text, and chat to trained crisis counselors who can help individuals experiencing mental health-related distress. Mental health-related distress can include substance use crisis, suicidal thoughts, depression, or any emotional distress. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is also available for individuals worried about a loved one who might need crisis support services. Its goal is to provide accessible and immediate crisis intervention and support to every individual in need. 

988 state implementation and top challenges

As of August 2022, 23 states have passed legislation to facilitate the implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Colorado, Nevada, and Washington enacted legislation with user fees to support 988 operations and provide financial sustainability for the system. Several states have established advisory groups or planning committees with representatives from state agencies, health providers, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and other partners to better coordinate the system and identify policy levers. 

Implementing a three-digit number for behavioral health emergencies in every state and providing 24/7 primary coverage through in-state call centers have presented certain challenges to states across the nation. As states prepare to launch the 988 hotlines, they have encountered key issues around infrastructure, workforce, 911 integration, readiness of the crisis care continuum, cultural competence, and performance management.  

Solutions for state agencies

To address these key issues, states should consider the following to aid in the successful implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:

Assess the states’ needs to successfully implement the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Despite meeting baseline requirements for the implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, state agencies are struggling to implement the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

By performing a structured needs assessment, state agencies can evaluate their infrastructure, policies and procedures, funding, and workforce needs to better understand their readiness to implement and capability to sustain the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This assessment provides insight for state agencies to understand their strengths, challenges, and areas of opportunity, and it should evaluate: 

• State infrastructure
  Behavioral health leaders acknowledge that infrastructure supports are necessary to make the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline work across the continuum of care. It is important to assess the infrastructure across the crisis care continuum to help ensure a smooth transition for individuals who need care quickly. Successful implementation should take certain considerations into account during the planning process, such as including all the interested parties representing diverse populations.
• Workforce
  In the current labor market, workforce availability and retention are top concerns for sustainable and effective 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline operations. States are struggling to hire the extra staff needed to launch the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline as well as to recruit qualified persons. To realistically implement the system, innovative workforce development and supporting wages to recruit and retain a specialized workforce are critical considerations for the states. Critical components to include in the assessment should include, but are not limited to:
  • Training
    Staff training and proper supervision will be crucial to effectively manage the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and states need best practices models for how to best train crisis responders and the call center staff. States should assess the existing training infrastructure to identify ways early on to support the mental health of their 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline counselors to reduce the risk for burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder. 
  • Capacity
    Adequate capacity is a key factor to workforce. The assessment should identify the number of qualified workforce available for in-person staffing. In the current labor market, it will also be important to consider including the identification of the number of qualified staff able to work remotely. If states would like to consider remote capabilities for the call centers, it will also be important to assess the available technology necessary, as well as the development of standards and expectations, including strong communication. 
• Readiness of the crisis care continuum
  Apprehension about the readiness of the crisis care continuum (e.g., mobile crisis teams through diversion services and lower levels of care) exist. Federal officials have stated they expect up to 12 million calls/texts/chats in the first year of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and research suggests approximately 20% of those calls/texts/chats will require some level of in-person response. States are questioning whether mobile crisis teams are prepared for the increased demand while also identifying connections and access to upstream services. In addition, states can consider the needs and experiences of the system’s end users to help address equity. The assessment can help to assess the readiness of the various components across the crisis care continuum.

Establish a strategic plan of action to implement the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 

With the implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, state agencies have an opportunity to strengthen crisis care. The best way to begin strengthening crisis care is to develop and implement strategic plans that optimize the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and the following services. Building on the strengths and opportunities identified in the needs assessment and the associated recommendations, strategic plans can establish priorities and identify sustainable solutions that build capacity, promote equitable access to care, and promote continuous quality improvement. Collaborating with key stakeholders to develop a strategic plan can help identify a roadmap for how the state should approach the implementation, maintenance, and sustainability of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, including, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Data and performance management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Health equity
• Voice of the customer
• Financial sustainability

Maximize available funding streams

Historically, behavioral health has not had sufficient funding to adequately address mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services across the continuum of care. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated behavioral health challenges for many individuals struggling and highlighted the challenges with the infrastructure and workforce. In the last couple of years, the federal administration has continued to allocate additional funding to supplement existing and ongoing federal funding. States should begin by evaluating the existing federal funding opportunities to support the implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 988 Convening Playbook for States, Territories, and Tribes, below are a few examples of funding sources that can be leveraged for the implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

• SAMHSA 
  • Transformation Transfer Initiative
  • Community Mental Health Services Block Grant
  • Substance Abuse and Treatment Block Grant
  • Mental Health Block Grant Set-aside
  • State Opioid Response Grant
  • Tribal Opioid Response Grants
• American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021—for Mobile Crisis and Crisis Line Services
• Medicaid
  • Early, Periodic, Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (known as EPSDT)
  • 1915(a) waivers
  • 1915(b) waivers
  • 1115 SMI/SED Service Delivery Waiver

The implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is critical to supporting the community and meeting their needs at a time where they need community support the most. If you have any questions, please contact BerryDunn’s behavioral health consulting team. We’re here to help.

Read this if you are in the senior living industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the country and created challenges across the labor force, and senior living facilities weren’t spared. For senior living, the pandemic contributed to the widening of the care cost shortfall, by decreasing the available workforce pool through voluntary resignations and a demand for higher wages. That situation has remained, and senior living facilities are faced with many challenges, including rising labor costs. Of note: 

• Across the nation, contract nursing labor utilization continues to increase, with an average 35% increase in contract agency hours used per patient day from 2020 to 2021.¹ 
• Occupancy has been declining nationwide, driven by both diminishing referrals (infection control concerns, reduction of elective procedures, such as joint replacements, and hospital capacity limitations), and the ability of facilities to accept patients (suspension of admissions due to inadequate staffing).
• Rising costs and diminishing occupancy have resulted in an average SNF $178.65 per patient day cost of care increase, from 2020 to 2021.
• Nationally, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics² (BLS) reports nursing and residential care facility employment declined 5% from 2019 to 2020, and further 5.7% from 2020 to 2021. Competition for workers resulted in noticeable wage increases, 10.4% in 2020, and 5.6% in 2021 (Table 1). 

Table 1: Employment and wages, 2019 – 2021

The first quarter of 2022 reveals a continuing reduction of employment coupled with continuing wage increases in the industry. The first quarter of 2022 showed an 11.4% increase in average weekly wage for nursing and residential care facilities over that same period in 2021, and continuing decline in employment (Table 2). 

Table 2: Employment and wages, Q1 2022

COVID-19 related staff burnout, lack of childcare or school schedule disruptions, infection control requirements, such as mandatory masking or vaccinations, and other factors resulted in a rapid and significant reduction of clinical staff available for work. 

Additional factors, such as migration of clinical staff from facility-based employment to a temporary contract agency, may have also contributed to the reduction of workforce in clinical occupations. CMS SNF Provider Information³ data comparison between August 2021 and August 2022 shows that all US regions reported a decline in average case-mix adjusted direct care hours per patient day (Figure 3) within a year. On average, 7.89% reduction in total hours reported, or 0.32 hours of services less per patient day. It is important to note that utilization of unlicensed staff (nursing assistants) has not changed significantly (57.2% in 2021 and 57.7% in 2022), indicating that nationwide availability of both licensed (RN, LPN) and unlicensed staff has decreased. 

Table 3: Average case-mix adjusted direct care hours per patient day – August 2021 and August 2022 comparison

Our interviews with long-term care facilities across the US have revealed that a number of facilities had to suspend admissions for a period of time, or close a portion of the facility, due to limited or inadequate staffing levels. Due to the nature of services, it mostly affects short stay rehabilitation unit admissions. For the majority of facilities, short stay revenue sources (such as Medicare) are more favorable and normally more profitable than long-term stays. The decrease in census (Table 4) drives the per diem costs up, and the loss of short-stay revenue continues to negatively impact the bottom line. Additionally, with a significant reduction of short stay rehabilitation volume, some highly trained employees of the facilities (such as therapists, clinical directors, dieticians, and others) may be less utilized, and potentially harder to retain. 

Table 4: Average Medicare-certified facility occupancy, 2019 – 2021

The increased cost of labor is one of the major per diem cost increase drivers for senior living facilities. The tight labor market has led to higher labor costs, increased utilization of contract labor, as well as reductions or suspensions in admissions due to lack of staffing. 

Table 5: Average Medicare-certified facility direct care labor cost per patient day (wages, benefits, contract labor), 2019 – 2021

Table 6: Average Medicare-certified facility direct care contract wages, 2019 – 2021

Many states facilitate labor-related programs aimed at increasing labor pool and staff retention through innovative programs, as well as considering waivers related to staff certification and delegation of duties requirements. Due to timing, the job outlook could not be forecasted with the effects of the new initiatives, as there is no data yet available on effectiveness of these programs.
If you would like more information, or have questions about your specific situation, please contact our senior living and long-term care team. We’re here to help.

¹ HCRIS as filed SNF Medicare (full utilization) cost reports, 2019 – 2021
² Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022
³ The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2022

Read this if you are a plan sponsor of employee benefit plans.

Employee Retention Credit (ERC)

There is still time to claim the Employee Retention Credit, if eligible. The due date for filing Form 941-X to claim the credit is generally three years from the date of the originally filed Form 941. 

The ERC is a refundable payroll tax credit for wages paid and health coverage provided by an employer whose operations were either fully or partially suspended due to COVID-related governmental orders or that experienced a significant reduction in gross receipts. 

The amount of the credit can be substantial. For 2020, the credit is 50% of the first $10,000 of qualified wages per employee for the qualifying period beginning as early as March 12, 2020, and ending December 31, 2020 (thus the max credit per employee is $5,000 in 2020). For 2021, the credit is 70% of the first $10,000 of qualified wages per employee, per qualifying quarter (thus the potential max credit is $21,000 per employee in 2021). 

For 2021, employers with 500 or fewer full-time employees in 2019 may include all wages and health plan expenses as qualified wages. For 2020, employers with 100 or fewer full-time employees in 2019 may include all wages and health plan expenses as qualified wages while employers with more than 100 full-time employees in 2019 may only claim the credit for qualified wages paid to employees who did not provide services. For purposes of determining full-time employees, an employer only needs to include those that work 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month in the calculation. Part-time employees working less than this would not be considered in the employee count.

There is additional interplay between claiming the ERC and the wages used for PPP loan forgiveness that will need to be considered. 

Student loan repayment programs

One of the benefits younger employees would like to receive from their employer is assistance with student loan repayments. A recent study indicated an employee would commit to working for an employer for at least five years if the employer assisted with student loan payments. Some employers have been providing such a benefit and, until 2020, any student loan payments made by the employer would have been considered taxable income. 

Beginning in 2020 and through 2025, at least for now, employers are permitted to provide tax-free student loan repayment benefits to employees. In order to receive tax-free payments, such a plan must be in writing and must be offered to a non-discriminatory group of employees. In addition, the tax-free benefit must be limited to $5,250 per calendar year. Now may be the time to consider offering student loan repayment benefits to help retain and attract employees.

Automatic enrollment for employee deferrals in 401(k)/403(b) plan

Most employers offer an employer-sponsored retirement plan such as a 401(k) plan or 403(b) plan to their employees. However, the federal government and several state governments are concerned that employees are either not saving enough for retirement and/or do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Some states are mandating the establishment of an employer-sponsored retirement plan, or mandatory participation in a state-sponsored multiple employer plan (MEP). Other states are mandating that employers who do not sponsor a 401(k) or 403(b) plan provide automatic employee payroll deductions into a state-sponsored Individual Retirement Account (IRA) type vehicle sponsored by the state. If you do not already sponsor a 401(k) or 403(b) plan you should confirm if your state has any requirements.

For those employers who do sponsor a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, you should consider implementing an automatic enrollment provision if you have not done so already. Automatic enrollment requires a certain percentage of an employee’s wages to be withheld and deposited into the 401(k) or 403(b) plan each pay period, unless the employee elects otherwise. While the current law does not require an employer to use automatic enrollment, there is pending legislation that would require an automatic enrollment provision in any new retirement plan. Even though existing plans would be grandfathered under the pending legislation, it may be worth implementing an automatic enrollment provision in the 401(k) or 403(b) plan to help and encourage employees to save for retirement. 

If you have questions about any of these or other employee benefit topics, please contact our Employee Benefits Audit team. We're here to help.

On the first episode of the Let’s Talk Parks with BerryDunn podcast, we spoke with Shane Mize, the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Pflugerville, Texas, and members of the BerryDunn Parks, Recreation, Libraries team about innovative ways to plan, engage, and serve their communities.

For those not familiar with Pflugerville, the city is situated between Austin and Round Rock, Texas. It has been listed as one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. They have a population of roughly 80,000 and their parks and recreation system is made up of over 55 miles of trails, with over 900,000 visits to their park system annually.

On the podcast, Shane talks about the challenges and opportunities of being surrounded by cities that have great parks and recreation departments. Never one to be upstaged, Shane uses innovation in his program, to increase community engagement and ensure the highest level of service to Pflugerville. The end goal: Being the best parks and recreation department in the country.

So let’s take a look at five innovative things the department is doing:

1. Rethinking the master plan

Shane told us that he's not a huge fan of how typical master plans are done. When he realized that he needed one to qualify for grants, he agreed, but on his own terms.

Shane shared his experience in seeking a consulting firm to help with the process, “I just decided that we were going to do things differently and was fortunate to find a firm [in BerryDunn] that … had enough park and rec professionals on it …and was young enough in some of their philosophies.”

He continued, “I think I was in the right place at the right time to push my agenda, which was to have a master plan that looked 100% different than any of the master plans I'd ever seen, and to feel confident and comfortable, not only standing before council, but standing before anybody in my industry.”

BerryDunn’s Jason Genck, the project manager on the master plan project, said, “They expect a high level of service, and they want us to push the envelope quite a bit, and I'm particularly excited about this project because I tend to be attracted to projects that are really creative, certainly innovative, and pushing the envelope.”

When starting the process, Shane told Jason that he wanted the plan to be “the most creative and engaged master planning process the country has ever seen.” Jason and his team completely agreed with this philosophy for Pflugerville and could see applications for other cities and towns.

Jason said, “I think this planning process is disrupting the traditional way of planning because the entire project team is constantly adjusting and re-thinking approaches to maximize the benefits to the Pflugerville community. Yes, we have our standard practices, but, we are having a lot of fun while being inspired to really push innovation in everything we do. While the Pflugerville team and the consultant team are true partners and everyone has such great expertise, we are also learning together how to help create the most vibrant future possible for the community.”

2. Going beyond benchmarking

Shane’s vision for the plan included local feedback as well as feedback from around the country. Jason Genck explained how this is different from what is typically done, “It's not just doing benchmarking, for example. Benchmarking is very common in a planning process, to look at how one organization might be performing against other, similar size, similar scoped organizations—and of course, we do that, and it's always an interesting discussion to reflect on what that is—but in the case of Pflugerville, that wasn't enough.”

“It was, 'Hey, let's take that benchmarking, let's get a think tank together. And you know what? We don't want a think tank of just local leaders. We’d also like you to do a think tank of regional and state leaders. Oh, and by the way, let's actually do a think tank of the best minds of the nation.' And that's just one example of many instances throughout the team's planning processes that are really just taking the traditional services that you might expect to another level.”

3. Constantly evaluating satisfaction

As the team started the master planning process, at the top of the list was getting feedback from the community, which was nothing new to the Pflugerville team. Proactively seeking customer satisfaction is something they do regularly. Another creative example:

Shane shared, “I actually have a staff member that pulls Yelp, Google, and Wedding Wire [reviews] for our wedding event site, and they pull those numbers quarterly and we can see if we've dipped up or down in every single park in the last quarter and any new comments are captured.”

4. Bringing in celebrity voices

This one is for all the fans of the TV show Parks and Recreation. As a way to gain visibility for the master planning process and to get the attention of their constituents, the Pflugerville team had a creative idea. Using the social tool Cameo, they hired actor Jay Jackson, who played character Perd Hapley on the show, for a brief “in character” video message (which you can see on Pflugerville’s Facebook page here). Here’s the message:

Perd: And hello there everyone. Jay Jackson here, aka Perd Hapley. And welcome to, 'You Heard with Perd!' We have some breaking news right now. And that news that is breaking is this: Right now, Pflugerville wants to hear from you as they develop a 10-year parks and recreation master plan. Your participation is very important, so go to pflugervilletx.gov/parksplan to learn more about it. And now that you heard, get involved. I'm Perd Hapley.

The video was widely shared and gained nearly 10,000 views—getting the master planning message out to potentially new audience members.

5. Meeting people where they are – on the road or online

On the podcast, BerryDunn’s Jason Genck described one of his favorite outreach vehicles (literally) that Pflugerville is using to engage citizens all over the city. “Let's pull a 15-foot-wide chalkboard all over the community, which has logged over 120 miles to date, to get into every nook and cranny in the community to make sure everyone knows what's going on with the future parks and recreation and has the opportunity to provide input.” Community members were encouraged to finish the sentence, “Parks matter because…” on the mobile chalkboard as a way to gather feedback on what was important to park users.

The chalkboard is just one way that the team is gathering feedback. Their website has a master planning section, linked to an engagement platform hosted by BerryDunn, where community members can provide ideas and vote for ideas from others. Meeting constituents where they are is helping make this project one of the most engaged planning processes the BerryDunn team has seen.

What’s next? Robots?

Well, maybe! The Pflugerville team has been looking at robots for lining their sports fields, so it can save their staff time and their employees can get back to doing what they do best. Nothing is off the table!

Shane explained that to be successful at innovation, you have to take some risks. He said, “If you're waiting until it's somewhat successful in the public sector, you've missed the mark of innovation. You've missed the mark of doing anything new.”

Listen to the full podcast here:

Read this if you are at a state Medicaid agency.

The uncertainty surrounding the end date of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) has made it difficult for state Medicaid agencies to plan and prepare to transition to pre-pandemic operations. Upon the federal declaration of the PHE, states and territories were forced to react quickly to reduce the impact on the Medicaid program and its enrollees. Many states and territories took advantage of the emergency authorities through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement temporary policy changes such as the removal of prior authorization requirements, increased payments to providers, removal of cost-sharing, and the expansion of telehealth services. 

While many of the emergency authorities will terminate on or around the end of the PHE, states and territories may elect to make those temporary changes permanent due to the positive impact for both enrollees and providers. Take telehealth, for example. The broad flexibilities allowed during the PHE permitted providers to meet the healthcare needs of enrollees in a time where in-person visits were not recommended, nor available. To increase access to testing and vaccinations in pharmacies, pharmacy technicians and interns were permitted to administer COVID-19 vaccinations when supervised by an immunizing pharmacist.

So what comes next for states and territories once the PHE ends? Taking a proactive approach to plan out next steps will assist states and territories to be better prepared upon conclusion of the PHE. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has committed to providing at least a 60-day notice prior to the official end date of the PHE. CMS encourages states and territories to communicate changes to enrollees, managed care plans, counties, providers, and other stakeholders.

As we await the declared end date of the PHE or notification of another extension, states and territories can begin taking actions to prepare for the resumption of normal operations. We have learned new ways to prevent disruptions in meeting the needs of enrollees, developed enhanced methods of communication to stay in touch, and used technology to its fullest capacity. While our new normal is very different than pre-pandemic times, we can all use what we have learned to strengthen our tactics for any future PHEs. BerryDunn is here to assist and support states and territories as they prepare for the eventual end of the PHE.

If you have questions or would like to discuss further, please contact the Medicaid consulting team. We're here to help. You can also read more BerryDunn articles on the PHE unwinding here.

Read this if you are subject to Medicaid DSH audits.

The Medicaid DSH program, created in 1981, provides funding to hospitals in the form of DSH payments. Federal law requires that state Medicaid programs make DSH payments to hospitals that serve a disproportionately high number of Medicaid beneficiaries and uninsured low-income patients, to help offset uncompensated care costs (UCC). With healthcare costs steadily outpacing income growth and inflation, these DSH payments serve as an important and sometimes necessary reimbursement mechanism. 

In most states, hospitals that receive Medicaid DSH payments are subject to an annual DSH audit, to determine the DSH UCC limit and to compare it against DSH payments received from the Medicaid state agencies. The DSH UCC limit uses information from the Medicare cost report, as well as Medicaid and uninsured patient detail, to calculate the UCC. 

Upon completion of the DSH audit, the Medicaid state agency or its contractor will compare the UCC to the DSH payments issued during the state fiscal year to determine if a hospital is in a shortfall, where DSH payments were less than the UCC, or a "longfall", where DSH payments were greater than the UCC. If it is determined that a hospital is in a longfall, the state’s Medicaid plan may require hospitals to pay some or all of the DSH funds back. With potentially significant financial implications, it is in the hospital’s best interest to understand the requirements and to complete the audit in a timely and accurate fashion. 

Completion of the DSH audit can be a daunting task. For some, the mere mention of the words “DSH audit” is enough to send chills down one’s spine. It is best assigned to those with solid reimbursement, revenue cycle, hospital operations, and information management system (IT) knowledge. 

It is not uncommon for hospitals to have a consulting firm, such as BerryDunn, complete the DSH audit on their behalf. While the DSH audit may seem like a heavy lift, we hope the following tips will assist you in tackling the audit and getting through the process smoothly and efficiently. 

1. Allow enough time for completion of the DSH audit. A considerable amount of time and effort is needed to collect, reconcile and summarize the internal claims data and to enter information into the required schedules. The time needed to complete the audit will depend on your organization’s available resources and complexity of the IT and financial systems. Typically, this process takes one to two weeks to complete, sometimes longer. Creating the patient data support files themselves is arguably the most time-consuming aspect of the process. 
2. Review the minimum federal requirements for DSH payment eligibility and document your organization’s qualifications. To receive DSH payments, hospitals must have a low-income inpatient utilization rate (LIUR) greater than 25 percent, or the hospital must have a Medicaid utilization rate (MIUR) that is at least one standard deviation above the mean rate of all hospitals in the state that receive Medicaid payments. States may distribute DSH payments to other hospitals provided they have a MIUR of at least one percent, and if they offer obstetric services that they have at least two OB/GYN on staff.
3. Take time to understand how DSH payments are calculated in your state and if any recent state Medicaid plan changes may affect your organization’s eligibility and amount of qualifying payments. 
4. Carefully review any audit instructions provided, paying particular attention to types of claims, service dates, and required supporting information. 
5. Gather all the data files needed for completion of the DSH audit before diving in, including the cost report(s) for the period under audit, patient data support files that support the Medicaid and uninsured populations, and audited hospital financial statements (if applicable). Remember: bad data in, bad data out!
6. Reconcile the state claims data. If the state claims data is used by the state Medicaid agency or its contractor to complete a portion of the audit, we strongly recommend a reconciliation of the state claims data to internal records, to help ensure all eligible claims, inpatient days, and charges are included.
7. Identify and capture all Medicaid and uninsured patients. When completing schedules, hospitals should ensure they are identifying and capturing all Medicaid and uninsured patients, and accurately report the charges and payments for these patients for the DSH audit. Certain data elements are required, including patient demographic data and hospital charge and payment information. 
8. Review insured patients' claims with no insurance payment. For uninsured patient charge capture, hospitals may benefit from reviewing insured patients’ claims with no insurance payment. Some claims, meeting state Medicaid plan coverage requirements, could be included as “uninsured” if they meet one of the three exclusion requirements: (1) service was not covered by insurance, but is covered by a Medicaid state plan; (2) patient’s benefits were exhausted prior to the admission/service date, and (3) patient reached the lifetime insurance limit. Some accounts that appear to be insured on the surface may in fact be eligible for inclusion in the calculation of the UCC. Remember, claims denied by insurance, such as untimely filing, lack of pre-authorization, or medically unnecessary services, should not be reported. In many cases, the only way to know for sure if an account can be included is through research of patient notes and financial information. Leave no stone unturned! It could be the difference between a longfall and a shortfall in your UCC.
9. Review your work prior to submission. Many states will provide a checklist with the audit package, to ensure all data elements have been included with the submission. Even if the hospital has resources to complete the audit, consider arranging for a third-party review of the DSH audit and other submission items to help ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data. 
10. Schedule time to review audit adjustments. The Medicaid state agency or its contractor will likely provide an adjustment report for your review. Plan your time for review of the audit adjustments, as the window for response or amendments may be very narrow. Take note of the adjustments, especially the high dollar ones, and either confirm that they are accurate or make revisions as necessary. This is another opportunity to bring in an advisor for a second review. 

Should you have any questions about or during the DSH reporting process, please do not hesitate to reach out to Andrew Berube and Olga Gross-Balzano at BerryDunn. We’d be pleased to serve as a second set of eyes to your process or alleviate the time requirements on your finance team. 

Andrew Berube
aberube@berrydunn.com
207-239-9893

Olga Gross-Balzano
OGross-Balzano@berrydunn.com
207-842-8025

Read this if you want to understand the new lease accounting standard.

What is ASC 842?

ASC 842, Leases, is the new lease accounting standard issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). This new standard supersedes ASC 840. For entities that have not yet adopted the guidance from ASC 842, it is effective for non-public companies and private not-for-profit entities for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021.

ASC 842 (sometimes referred to as Topic 842 or the new lease standard) contains guidance on the accounting and financial reporting for agreements meeting the standard’s definition of a lease. The goal of the new standard is to:

• Streamline the accounting for leases under US GAAP and better align with International Accounting Standards lease standards 
• Enhance transparency into liabilities resulting from leasing arrangements (particularly operating lease contracts)
• Reduce off-balance-sheet activities

What is the definition of a lease under the new standard?

ASC 842 defines a lease as “A contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to control the use of identified property, plant, or equipment (an identified asset) for a period of time in exchange for consideration.” 

This definition outlines four primary characteristics to consider: 1) an identified asset, 2) the right to control the use of that asset, 3) a period of time, and 4) consideration.

(For a deeper dive into what constitutes a lease, you can download the BerryDunn lease accounting guide here.) 

How will this affect your organization?

• Lease arrangements have to be classified as finance, operating, or short-term leases. In general accounting for the lease asset and liability is as follows:

  • For finance leases, use the effective interest method to amortize the liability, and amortize the asset on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Note that this has the effect of “front-loading” the expense into the early years of the lease.

  • For operating leases (e.g., equipment and some property leases), the lease asset and liability would be amortized to achieve a straight-line expense impact for each year of the lease term. ASC topic 842 establishes the right-of-use asset model, which shifts from the risk-and-reward approach to a control-based approach. 
• Lessees will recognize a lease liability of the present value of the future minimum lease payments on the balance sheet and a corresponding right of use asset representing their right to use the leased asset over the lease term. 
• The present value of the lease payments is required to be measured using the discount rate implicit in the lease if its readily determinable. More likely than not it will not be readily determinable, and you would use a discount rate that equals the lessee’s current borrowing rate (i.e., what it could borrow a comparable amount for, at a comparable term, using a comparable asset as collateral).
• It will be critical to consider the effect of the new rules on your organization’s debt covenants. All things being equal, debt to equity ratios will increase as a result of adding lease liabilities to the balance sheet. Lenders and borrowers may need to consider whether to change required debt to equity ratios as they negotiate the terms of loan agreements.

Time to implement: What do you need to do next?

The starting place for implementation is ensuring you have a complete listing of all known lease contracts for real estate property, plant, and equipment. However, since leases can be in contracts that you would not expect to have leases, such as service contracts for storage space, long-term supply agreements, and delivery service contracts, you will also need to broaden your review to more than your organization’s current lease expense accounts. 

We recommend reviewing all expense accounts to look for recurring payments, because these often have the potential to have contracts that contain a lease. Once you have a list of recurring payments, review the contracts for these payments to identify leases. If the contract meets the elements of a lease—a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to control the use of identified property, plant, or equipment (an identified asset) for a period of time in exchange for consideration—your organization has a lease that should be added to your listing.

Additionally, your organization is required to consider the materiality of leases for recognition of ASC 842. There are no explicit requirements (that, of course, would make things too easy!). One approach to developing a capitalization threshold for leases (e.g., the dollar amount that determines the proper financial reporting of the asset) is to use the lesser of the following: 

• A capitalization threshold for PP&E, including ROU assets (i.e., the threshold takes into account the effect of leased assets determined in accordance with ASC 842) 
• A recognition threshold for liabilities that considers the effect of lease liabilities determined in accordance with ASC 842

Under this approach, if a right-of-use asset is below the established capitalization threshold, it would immediately be recognized as an expense. 

It's important to keep in mind the overall disclosure objective of 842 "which is to enable users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases". It's up to the organization to determine the level of details and emphasis needed on various disclosure requirements to satisfy the disclosure objective. With that objective in mind, significant judgment will be required to determine the level of disclosures necessary for an entity. However, simply put, the more extensive the organization's leasing activities, the more comprehensive the disclosures are expected to be. 

Don't wait, download our lease implementation organizer (Excel file) to get started today! 

Key takeaways and next steps:

•  ASC 842 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021
• Establish policies and procedures for lease accounting, including a materiality threshold for assessing leases
• Develop a system to capture data related to lease terms, estimated lease payments, and other components of lease agreements that could affect the liability and asset being reported
• Evaluate if bond covenants or debt limits need to be modified due to implementation of this standard
• Determine if there are below market leases/gifts-in-kind of leased assets

If you have questions about finance or operating leases, or need help with the new standard, BerryDunn has numerous resources available below and please don’t hesitate to contact the lease accounting team. We’re here to help. 

Lease accounting resources 

• BerryDunn lease implementation organizer (Excel file)
• BerryDunn lease accounting guide
• BerryDunn lease classification infographic 
• BerryDunn lease accounting podcast
• BerryDunn calculation templates available upon request

Read this if you are at a financial institution. For more CECL information, tune in to the latest episode of BerryDunn’s CECL Radio podcast. It features Susan Weber and David Stone discussing how to handle unfunded commitments and debt securities during CECL preparation.

I love a big surprise! Of course, I mean the fun, uplifting kind—like birthday parties, a best friend’s unexpected visit, or that special anniversary gift. Not that other kind of surprise that’s more like biting into an apple only to find half a worm. Calculating a loss reserve for unfunded commitments is not a new concept, but the reach and significance of it may end up surprising institutions. How much? A review of 2020 public filings and disclosures shows that some adopters saw unfunded commitment reserves increase millions of dollars, from one percent of total reserves pre-adoption to six percent or more post-adoption. In this article, we take a close look at unfunded commitments under CECL, in an effort to help you avoid that “other kind” of surprise.  

Within the CECL standard (Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 326 – Financial Instruments-Credit Losses), key considerations for estimating reserves tied to unfunded commitments are covered in section 326-20-30-11. The section lays out three key fundamentals: it applies to credit commitments that are not unconditionally cancellable, and that institutions should consider how likely the commitment is to be funded, and its expected life. 

First, let’s look at unconditionally cancellable—this essentially means that unless an institution can, at any time and for any reason, cancel its commitment to lend, then the commitment has to be included in this part of the estimate. Institutions may be surprised to discover that a portion of its commercial sales pipeline should now be included in unfunded commitment balances. Why? Because commitment letters issued to business loan applicants are often considered legally binding and they typically do not contain language that would make them unconditionally cancellable by the institution. This makes sense when you realize the primary goal of the commitment letter is to assure the applicant that the bank is committed to making the loan. This discovery, in turn, has led those involved in CECL implementation to develop (1) processes to ensure commercial loan pipelines are sufficiently detailed enough to know what, when, and how these commitments should be included in the calculation, and (2) internal controls that assure the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the information. 

Next up—how likely is it that the commitment will be funded? For unused portions of existing loans and lines, this may mean taking a look at average utilization rates. For in-scope pipeline commitments, institutions may find that they need to dig through information that is not commonly held in a central system to come up with a success or close rate. The likelihood of funding may vary widely between products or segments, and over its expected life. For example, the expected funding of a residential or commercial real estate construction line may approach 100%, whereas only 40% or less of a revolving line may ever be used. These funding rates become the basis for “discounting” the unfunded balances subject to reserve estimation and should be re-evaluated on some periodic basis, which can be detailed in the institution’s CECL model documentation related to governance and monitoring.

Finally, let’s look at the expected life of the loan component. This language and expectation are consistent with on-balance sheet credit, leading institutions to (1) make sure they are able to segment their off-balance sheet commitments in the same pools used for boarded loans, and (2) apply the appropriate pool reserve factor to unfunded commitments over the expected life of that type of loan. One-way institutions may accomplish this is by making sure that they are using the same fully adjusted reserve factor and expected life assumptions for unfunded pools as they do for their funded pool counterparts. 

You may discover that your CECL model or software vendor does not provide for unfunded commitment calculations, or only provides support for the available credit portion of loan facilities boarded to your core loan system. In either case, this means institutions must consider, support, and complete calculations outside of the model. Writing clear step-by-step instructions and ensuring a robust independent review/approval process will help off-set risks posed by such manual calculations.

Could you use an experienced resource to help you document or validate your CECL model?  

No matter what stage of CECL readiness you are in, we can help you navigate the requirements as efficiently and effectively as possible. For more information, visit the CECL page on our website. If you would like specific answers to questions about your CECL implementation, please visit our Ask the Advisor page to submit your questions.

For more tips on documenting your CECL adoption, stay tuned for our next article in the series. You can also follow Susan Weber on LinkedIn.

Read this if you are a business owner or are interested in business valuation. 

BerryDunn’s business valuation team recently authored a book titled A Field Guide to Business Valuation for Owners and Leaders of Private Companies. It is being published by Business Valuation Resources, the leading provider of valuation textbooks, in September. 

A book’s cover can say a lot about a book, and this one is no exception. The title of this book is A Field Guide to Business Valuation. We have organized the book like a field guide used by bird watchers, and encourage readers to keep it on hand as a reference. It doesn’t necessarily need to be read cover to cover. Jump around. If a question comes up about a particular topic, turn to the section that addresses that matter. Or, if learning all about business valuation sounds appealing, by all means read it cover to cover. You may find more to certain topics than you initially thought. Here are some of our notes about the book.

We wrote this book based on data from the field. It is based on our experiences helping business owners estimate, preserve, and increase business value. We work with people who don’t have a business valuation background. We regularly use simple analogies to help people understand complicated topics. We get used to answering the same questions that come up, and we have had many opportunities to hone our answers. After years of explaining business valuations in conversations and presentations, we wrote this book to provide more people with a greater understanding of how businesses are valued. 

This book is intended for business owners and their advisors who would like to learn more about how to estimate what a business is worth, what factors affect value, and how to make businesses more valuable. After reading this book, the reader should be conversant in business valuations and comfortable with the overall valuation framework. It is not an exhaustive dissertation on business valuation. There are many other (very thick) books that get into the details, picking up where this book leaves off. This book is for people who want an understanding of how businesses are valued but don’t have the time to read heavy textbooks. 

The book is designed for people who want to learn how to perform valuations themselves. While it doesn’t contain all the details necessary to master the craft of business valuation, it is a great introduction to the topic. 

Our focus is on the valuation of privately held businesses, not publicly traded companies. Public companies can be valued based on their stock prices or various intrinsic valuation models. The value of private and public companies is affected by different factors. 

We hope this book answers questions, provides new insights, and is an enjoyable read. Stay tuned for more details about availability and opportunities to learn more about the content. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Seth Webber or Casey Karlsen.