Finding 1141835 (2025-001)

2025-001 Special Tests and Provisions - Sliding Fee Scale Discounts Federal program: FAL 93.224 Health Center Program U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Federal grant number H80CS00416 Criteria: Patients applying for sliding fee scale (SFS) discounts should have their income levels adequately documented and accurately calculated, and patients should be given the proper discount based upon their income level in accordance with 42 CFR Section 51c.303(f). Condition: The Center requires patients that apply for the SFS discount to complete attestation forms that includes their household sizes and income levels, and these forms are then used to determine patients' SFS discounts. One patient attestation form out of 40 SFS patient encounters that we tested reflected an incorrect SFS discount. Cause: Unknown Effect: Due to incorrect attestation forms, we could not determine whether the Organization consistently provided patients with the proper discount based upon their income levels. Recommendation: To help ensure that SFS discounts are properly calculated and documented, the Center should perform random reviews of its SFS applications in order to detect and correct errors or incomplete applications on a timely basis.