The state Health Care Authority (HCA) has begun the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) application process for state fiscal year 2020. To ensure consideration for SFY 2020 DSH funding, hospitals must submit an initial application to HCA no later than August 1, 2019. Qualifying hospitals that serve disproportionately high proportions of Medicaid and uninsured patients can receive a share of $8.5 million in Low Income DSH and $3.8 million in Small Rural DSH funding. Public hospitals participating in the Certified Public Expenditure (CPE) program have a separate application process with a similar timeline.
WSHA recommends hospitals that may qualify for either or both of these DSH programs submit an initial application prior to August 1 in order to protect their right for DSH consideration, even if they have not yet decided if they will submit full application. The initial application must include at a minimum, completion of the Section 1 of the application which includes the hospital’s mailing address, Medicaid and Medicare provider numbers, fiscal year end date and medicare cost report period, and hospital’s DSH contact person.
HCA will notify hospitals of remaining missing items or information, which must be submitted by October 31, 2019 for the application to remain eligible for consideration. Click here for the non-CPE DSH application.
The application and related documents should be sent to HCA at hcadshadmin@hca.wa.gov.
(Andrew Busz, andrewb@wsha.org)
