QUESTION: We’ve heard that the federal government issued new regulations regarding hospital financial assistance policies. Is this true?
ANSWER: Yes. The federal government issued proposed regulations governing financial assistance policies on June 26, 2012. The IRS stated in Notice 2014-2 (January 13, 2014), that hospitals will not be required to comply with the proposed regulations “until such regulations are published as final or temporary regulations.”
“Until such regulations are published as final…regulations” became reality on December 31, 2014. The new regulations govern tax-exempt hospitals’ financial assistance policies, limitation on charges and billing and collection procedures as well as community needs assessments.
Missed the Audio Conference? It’s Not Too Late…
Happy New Year from the IRS!
New Rules for Tax-Exempt Hospitals
Recorded: January 21, 2015
While you were getting ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the folks at the IRS delivered a New Year’s gift that will keep on giving. They issued final regulations regarding the requirements for charitable hospital organizations added by the Affordable Care Act.
These final regulations replace previous guidance on these requirements and are 64 pages long. As you might expect with the IRS, the Devil is in the details. The regulations are chock-full of new rules governing billing, collection, financial assistance and community needs assessment.
To help you navigate through this maze and avoid its many traps for the unwary, Horty Springer partners Henry Casale and Dan Mulholland will present a special audio conference on January 21, 2015 at 1:00 pm ET. Be sure to join them to learn about the new rules before they come back to haunt you.