Audit 17638

FY End
2022-12-31
Total Expended
$24.11M
Findings
24
Programs
8
Year: 2022 Accepted: 2023-06-16

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
12961 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
12962 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
12963 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
12964 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
12965 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
12966 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
12967 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
12968 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
12969 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
12970 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
12971 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
12972 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
589403 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
589404 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
589405 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
589406 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
589407 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
589408 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
589409 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
589410 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
589411 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
589412 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L
589413 2022-001 Significant Deficiency Yes N
589414 2022-002 Significant Deficiency - L

Contacts

Name Title Type
D73LZHSBX331 Ryan Spillane Auditee
7193446453 Steve Hochstetter Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Title: Subrecipients Accounting Policies: The schedule includes the Federal awards activity of Peak Vista Community Health Centers and is presented on the accrual basis of accounting. The information in this schedule is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Therefore, some amounts presented in this schedule may differ from amounts presented in, or used in the preparation of, the basic financial statements. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The auditee did not use the de minimis cost rate. Peak Vista Community Health Centers provided no federal awards to subrecipients.
Title: Expenditures under CFDA 93.498, Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Accounting Policies: The schedule includes the Federal awards activity of Peak Vista Community Health Centers and is presented on the accrual basis of accounting. The information in this schedule is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Therefore, some amounts presented in this schedule may differ from amounts presented in, or used in the preparation of, the basic financial statements. De Minimis Rate Used: N Rate Explanation: The auditee did not use the de minimis cost rate. Expenditures under CFDA 93.498, Provider Relief Fund (PRF) applies the guidance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively, the Program). For the Program, the amounts on the schedule are reported based on the Program portal submission guidelines. Payments from HHS for the Program are assigned to one of five Payment Received Periods based upon the date each payment from the Program was received. Each Period has a specified Period of Availability and timing of reporting requirements. The schedule includes those qualifying expenditures and/or lost revenues that were reported in the Program portal for Period 4 (Payment Received Periods from July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 and Periods of Availability from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022). Therefore, the amount presented in this schedule may differ from amounts presented in the basic financial statements.The Schedule includes Program activities for Peak Vista Community Health Centers (EIN: 84 0617567).Peak Vista Community Health Centers did not receive any donated federal personal protective equipment (PPE) during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Finding Details

Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? In accordance with the Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program Compliance Manual, Chapter 9: Sliding Fee Discount Program, health centers must prepare and apply a sliding fee discount schedule so that amounts owed for health center services by eligible patients are adjusted based on the patients? ability to pay. In accordance with 42 CFR 56.303, health centers must have a schedule of fees or payments for the provision of their health services consistent with locally prevailing rates or charges and designed to cover their reasonable costs of operation. They are also required to have a corresponding schedule of discounts applied and adjusted based on the patient?s ability to pay. The patient?s ability to pay is determined based on the official poverty guidelines, as revised annually by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The schedule of discounts must provide for a full discount to individuals and families with annual incomes at or below those set forth in the most recent poverty income guidelines (except that nominal fees for service may be collected from such individuals and families) and for no discount to individuals and families with annual incomes greater than twice those set forth in such guidelines. Condition ? Peak Vista determines the sliding fee discount charged to patients based on the patient?s annual gross income and household size. We found two encounters where applications were not retained. Therefore, we could not determine if the sliding fee discount applied was in accordance with the guideline. We found two separate encounters where the patient did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount. We found one separate encounter where the patient was charged an incorrect co-pay. Context ? In testing of sliding fee discounts, we selected 40 encounters with sliding fee discounts applied during the year. There were 35,338 encounters in the population. Sliding fee discounts provided to the five encounters totaled $1,461. Total discounts in the sample were $7,283. The sample procedures were not statistical. The audit finding represents a systematic problem, see condition above. Cause ? Condition found related to the encounters whose applications were not retained was due to missing documentation of the application. This activity occurs at the time of service by the reception team and there are times when the paperwork is not scanned into the patient?s health record. Condition found related to the encounters who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount was due to inadvertently recording the patients as sliding fee discount recipients. Condition found related to the encounter who had the incorrect co-pay applied was due to an inadvertent error. Effect or Potential Effect ? Without documentation to support that the patient qualified based on their income, patients may have been given an improper sliding fee discount. For patients who did not meet the guidelines to receive a discount and the patient who received an incorrect co-pay, patients received an improper sliding fee discount. Questioned Costs ? $1,461. The amount was determined by totaling all of the discounts received by the four patients, and assumed the two patients without supporting documentation were ineligible for the discount received. Amount also includes the variance between the correct and incorrect co-pay charged to one patient. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure income is properly verified and adequately documented and retained. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding monitoring of the program to ensure the Center?s policies are consistently and properly applied. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. All teams engaged in the enrollment and eligibility process, including our Enrollment, Reception, and Billing teams will be retrained on the process with emphasis on proper documentation. Peak Vista management plans to incorporate into our quality assurance audits the documentation for single service date discount applications and provide feedback and retraining as necessary to staff as needed.
Criteria or Specific Requirement ? Peak Vista is required to submit a Uniform Data System (UDS) Grant Report with the Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) with respect to the Health Center Program Cluster grants. Such report includes reporting certain line items such as Physician Clinic visits, Physician Virtual visits, NPs, PAs and CNMs Clinic visits and NPs, PAs and CNMs Virtual visits. Condition ? Peak Vista?s UDS Grant Report contained misstatements of visits for the year ended December 31, 2022. Context ? The remaining key line items as identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2022 Compliance Supplement were accurately reported for the year ended December 31, 2022. Cause ? Peak Vista inadvertently misstated visits by type and provider. Effect or Potential Effect ? The visits reported to HRSA for the year were misstated. Questioned Costs ? There are no questioned costs. Recommendation ? We recommend that Peak Vista?s procedures be strengthened to ensure accurate reporting. Peak Vista should strengthen processes surrounding the review and reconciliation of supporting information used to complete the UDS Grant Report. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions ? Management agrees with the finding. Peak Vista has developed a plan for addressing this issue that includes updated procedures, training, and auditing. Additionally, the UDS Grant Report has been subsequently re-submitted.