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Tip: Train staff to verify immigrant status

Patient Financial Services Weekly Advisor, September 2, 2005

The federal government will give hospitals money this year to offset the cost of treating illegal immigrants under Section 1011 of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003.

Although CMS specifically states that a provider should not ask a patient whether he or she is an undocumented alien, a patient may voluntarily disclose this status, making the facility eligible for reimbursement, says Hilary Young, Esq., a partner at Joy & Young in Austin, TX.

Otherwise, CMS requires providers to take the following steps:

1. Determine whether the patient is enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid. If yes, then Section 1011 reimbursement does not apply.

2. Determine whether the patient has a border crossing card or documentation for having been paroled into the United States. If so, reimbursement is likely. If the patient declines to answer this question or is unable to provide the correct paperwork, payment will not be available under this option.

3. Determine whether the patient reports a foreign place of birth and verifies eligibility by

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