User Guide for the Cost Data Collection Instrument

How to Use This Document 

For many, the instrument provided by CMS is hard to decipher.  So, we have simplified the information it  contains to make it easier to understand.  As you read through, you will see we have organized things according  to the same methodology deployed by CMS: 

 Organizational Characteristics 

 Facilities Costs   Vehicle Costs   Other Costs   Total Cost   Revenues 

 Service Area 

 Emergency Response Time 

 Equipment, Consumables & Supplies 

 Ground Ambulance Service Volume 

 Service Mix   Labor Costs 

As stated earlier, not all items will apply to your agency.  For instance, if you are a career only, nonaffiliated  ambulance service, then any item that pertains to cost allocations between shared services (with say, a fire  department), or labor costs related to volunteers, would not apply.    Likewise, there are agencies that are part of a parent organization that uses multiple NPIs to bill Medicare for  ground ambulance services.  In such cases, those agencies would need to track and allocate the portion of costs  and revenues incurred at the level of the parent organization (also referred to as the central office) based on  their existing organizational approach for allocating costs to specific NPIs.    We have included reminders of this throughout the document (often in relation to tables), yet these reminders  would only be relevant to those specific agencies.    And speaking of tables, we have added them where applicable to translate the instrument and visualize what  CMS wants to see.  This does not mean these tables will be included in the final reporting tool.  Rather,  everything contained herein is simply our way of taking something complicated and trying to make it… less  complicated. 

For Cornerstone Clients   

As your billing partner, we already have some of the required information, such as certain organizational  characteristics and billing data.  We will work with you to make sure you have the needed information when the  time comes to report.   

Disclaimer 

This tool does not guarantee your agency will successfully collect or report on the required data.  Cornerstone,  nor any of its affiliates or subsidiaries, bears any responsibility for your use of this tool.  Your agency is solely  responsibility for the accurate, complete and timely submission of all data as explained by CMS.

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