Form CMS-10079 Medicare Wage Index Occupational Mix Survey

MEDICARE WAGE INDEX

OCCUPATIONAL MIX SURVEY

Date: ___/___/___

Provider Number: ______________

Provider Contact Name: _______________________________________

Provider Contact Phone Number: ______________

Reporting Period: 01/01/2010 – 12/31/2010*

Introduction

Section 304(c) of Public Law 106-554 amended section 1886(d)(3)(E) of the Act to require CMS to collect data every 3 years on the occupational mix of employees for each short-term, acute care hospital participating in the Medicare program, in order to construct an occupational mix adjustment to the wage index. The law also requires the application of the occupational mix adjustment to the wage index beginning October 1, 2004.

This survey provides for the collection of occupational mix data for a 12-month period, that is, * from pay periods ending between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 to be applied to the FY 2013 wage index. Complete the survey for any hospital that is subject to the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS), or any hospital that would be subject to IPPS if not granted a waiver¹. [Note: Do not complete this survey if you are a no/low Medicare utilization provider. Check with your fiscal intermediary (FI) or Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) to confirm your status.] It is important for hospitals to ensure that the data reported on the survey are accurate and verifiable through supporting documentation.

Completed occupational mix surveys must be submitted to FIs or MACs, on the Excel hospital reporting form, by July 1, 2011, via email attachment or overnight delivery. The Excel version of the occupational mix survey may be obtained from fiscal intermediaries or downloaded from CMS’s website at:

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/WIFN/list.asp#TopOfPage.

Instructions and definitions for the data elements and the occupational categories are attached.

MEDICARE WAGE INDEX

OCCUPATIONAL MIX SURVEY

Instructions and Definitions

Instructions

Complete this survey for employees who are full-time and part-time, directly hired, and acquired under contract. Do not include employees in areas excluded from IPPS via Worksheet S-3, Part II, Lines 8 and 8.01, such as skilled-nursing facilities, psychiatric, or rehabilitation units or facilities. This exclusion applies to directly-hired and contract employees who provide either direct or indirect patient care services in IPPS excluded areas. Also, do not include employees whose services are excluded from the IPPS, such as physician Part B, and interns and residents. Include employees who are allocated from the home office or related organizations to IPPS reimbursable cost centers and outpatient departments of the hospital that are included in the wage index (i.e., outpatient clinic, emergency room).

Employees in the home office, related organizations, or general services costs centers (Worksheet S-3, Part II, Lines 21 through 35) typically provide services throughout the hospital, including the IPPS-excluded areas (Lines 8 and 8.01). In completing the survey, a hospital should apply the same methodology it uses for allocating home office and related organization costs on Worksheet S-3, Part II, and exclude from the survey such costs associated with excluded areas. If home office or related organization personnel provide only administrative services, report their wages and hours in the “All Other Occupations” category. To the extent that there are home office or related organization personnel that are engaged in nursing activities, they must be reported in the appropriate nursing subcategory.

Additionally, hospitals should apply the methodology that is used in the wage index calculation for allocating general service salaries and hours to excluded areas. (See Step 4 of the wage index calculation in 72 FR 47320, August 22, 2007, or in the Wage Index Calculator at http://cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientIPPS/.) Note that, although wage-related costs are included in the general service allocation methodology for Worksheet S-3, wage-related costs should be excluded from the general service allocation methodology for the occupational mix survey because the occupational mix survey excludes wage-related costs.

Nursing personnel working in the following cost centers as used for Medicare cost reporting purposes must be included in the appropriate nursing subcategory. These cost centers reflect where the majority of nursing employees are assigned in hospitals and are selected to ensure consistent reporting among hospitals. The wages and hours for nursing personnel working in other areas of the hospital that are reimbursable under the IPPS or OPPS, or nurses who are performing solely administrative functions, would be included in the “All Other Occupations” category.

COST CENTER DESCRIPTIONS

Lines for 2552-96	Cost Centers	Lines for 2552-10
14	Nursing Administration	13
25	Adults and Pediatrics (General Routine Care)	30
26	Intensive Care Unit	31
27	Coronary Care Unit	32
28	Burn Intensive Care Unit	33
29	Surgical Intensive Care Unit	34
30	Other Special Care (specify)	35
33	Nursery	43
37	Operating Room	50
38	Recovery Room	51
39	Delivery Room and Labor Room	52
53	Electrocardiology	66
57	Renal Dialysis	71
58	Ambulatory Surgical Center (Non-Distinct Part)	72
59	Other Ancillary	73
60	Clinics	90
61	Emergency	91
62	Observation Beds	92

Note: Subscripted cost centers that would normally fall into one of these cost centers should be included on the survey.

Definitions

Paid Salaries and Paid Hours:

Paid Salaries – Include the total of paid wages and salaries for the specified category of hospital employees including overtime, vacation, holiday, sick, lunch, and other paid-time-off, severance, and bonuses. Do not include fringe benefits or wage-related costs as defined in Provider Reimbursement Manual, Part II, Section 3605.2.

Paid Hours – Include the total paid hours for the specified category of hospital employees. Paid hours include regular hours, overtime hours, paid holiday, vacation, sick, and other paid-time-off hours, and hours associated with severance pay. Do not include non-paid lunch periods and on-call hours in the total paid hours. (Note: On-call hours for the occupational mix survey must be treated the same as on-call hours for Worksheet S-3 wage data; see Provider Reimbursement Manual, Part II, section 3605.2, column 4 instructions). Overtime hours must be calculated as one hour when an employee is paid time and a half. No hours are required for bonus pay. The hours reported for salaried employees who are paid a fixed rate must be recorded based on 40 hours per week or the number of hours in the hospital’s standard workweek.

Occupational Categories:

[The occupational categories and definitions included in this survey derive directly from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2001 Occupational Employment Statistics survey. The numbers in parentheses are the BLS standard occupational categories (SOCs). As with the BLS survey, workers should be classified in the occupation that requires their highest level of skill. If no measurable difference in skills, workers are to be included in the occupation that they spend the most time.]

Registered Nurses (RNs, SOC 29-1111) - Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required. RNs who have specialized formal, post-basic education and who function in highly autonomous and specialized roles, may be assigned a variety of roles such as staff nurse, advanced practice nurse, case manager, nursing educator, infection control nurse, performance improvement nurse, and community health nurse. Advanced practice nurses (APNs) (that is, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists) are usually paid by Medicare under a Part B fee schedule and not the IPPS. APNs must be excluded from the survey if they are excluded from Worksheet S-3, but should be included on the survey if they are included in one of the cost centers for the survey and are included on Worksheet S-3.

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs, SOC 29-2061) and Surgical Technologists** (SOC 29-2055) – LPNs: Care for ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled persons in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions. Most LPNs provide basic bedside care, such as vital signs as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. May work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Some more experienced LPNs supervise nursing assistants and aides. Licensing is required after the completion of a state-approved practical nursing program. Surgical Technologists: Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeon's assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

Nursing Aides, Orderlies, & Attendants (SOC 31-1012) - Provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties, such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens.

Examples: Certified Nursing Assistant; Hospital Aide; Infirmary Attendant.

Medical Assistants** (SOC 31-9092) - Performs administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician. Exclude “Physician Assistants” (29-1071). Include only those employees who perform administrative and certain clinical functions under the direction of a physician in the IPPS cost centers and outpatient areas of the hospital that are listed above. Do not include phlebotomists, information technology personnel, health information management personnel, medical secretaries, ward clerks, and general business office personnel.

Examples: Morgue Attendant; Ophthalmic Aide; Physicians Aide

**Note: Medical Assistants and Surgical Technologists are “nursing” employees for purposes of the occupational mix survey. Whenever the terms “nursing staff”, “nursing personnel”, “nursing occupations”, “nursing employees”, or “nursing categories” are used with regards to the occupational mix survey, they are deemed to include medical assistants and surgical technologists.

Note: Only nurses, surgical technologists, nursing aides/orderlies/attendants, and medical assistants, as defined on the survey, can be included in the respective RNs, LPNs, Surgical Technologists, Aides/Orderlies/Attendants, and MAs categories. Do not include other occupations that may provide similar services as nursing personnel. Instead, those occupations (if assigned to IPPS/OPPS areas of the hospital) must be included in the All Other Occupations category. For example, hospital-based paramedics may provide services that are similar to those provided by nursing personnel; however, on the occupational mix survey, these non-nursing occupations must be included in All Other Occupations. This is to ensure consistent reporting among hospitals.

All Other Occupations – Non-nursing employees (directly hired and under contract) in IPPS reimbursable cost centers and outpatient departments that are included in the wage index (i.e., outpatient clinic, emergency room) must be included in the “All Other Occupations” category. In addition, this category would include the wages and hours of nurses (including APNs) that function solely in administrative or leadership roles, that do not directly supervise staff nurses who provide patient care, and do not provide any direct patient care themselves. This category must not include occupations that are excluded from the wage index (such as physician Part B services, interns, residents, and the services of APNs - nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists – that are excluded from the wage index because their services are billable under a Part B fee schedule).

Also, the “All Other Occupations” category must not include employees in areas of the hospital that are excluded from the wage index via Worksheet S-3, Part II, Lines 8 and 8.01, such as skilled nursing, psychiatric, and rehabilitation units and facilities. Therapists and therapy assistants, equipment technologists and technicians, medical and clinical laboratory staff, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, administrators (other than nursing), computer specialists, dietary, and housekeeping staff are examples of employees who should be reported in the “All Other Occupations” category. Also include the wages and hours of personnel from the home office or related organizations if they perform solely administrative functions and work in IPPS cost centers and outpatient departments that are included in the wage index.

Note: Do not include salaries and hours for APNs (nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, or certified registered nurse anesthetists) in any of the Nursing or All Other Occupations categories if their services are billable under Medicare Part B. The services of these nurses are generally billable under a Part B fee schedule and excluded from the wage index because they are not paid under the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS).

MEDICARE WAGE INDEX

OCCUPATIONAL MIX SURVEY

Date: ___/___/___

Provider Number: ______________

Provider Contact Name: _______________________________________

Provider Contact Phone Number: ______________

Reporting Period: Pay Periods Ending Between 01/01/2010 and 12/31/2010

Report Paid Salaries and Paid Hours in whole numbers. Round Average Hourly Wage to 2 decimal places.

Occupational Category	Paid Salaries	Paid Hours	Average Hourly Wage (Salaries/Hours)
Nursing Occupations
RNs
LPNs and Surgical Technologists
Nursing Aides, Orderlies, & Attendants
Medical Assistants
Total Nursing
All Other Occupations
Total (Nursing and All Other)

Note: Do not mark in shaded areas.

1 Note: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) are not paid under the IPPS, therefore, CAHs are not required to complete the survey. Also, hospitals that terminated participation in the Medicare program before January 1, 2010 are not required to complete the survey.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0938-0907. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 480 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: CMS, 7500 Security Boulevard, Attn: PRA Reports Clearance Officer, Mail Stop C4-26-05, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850.

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Form CMS-10079 (2010)