Claiming Vacation Time
March 5, 2018:
Reporting vacation time on the IRIS report can be tricky. Medicare regulations state that vacation time or leave of absence can be counted on the IRIS report as long as it does not prolong the total time of the resident’s training (42 CFR § 413.79(h)).
It gets tricky when the resident that is on vacation is spending time in more than one hospital throughout the academic year. The November 24, 2010 Federal Register offers us additional guidance, stating, “regardless of which hospital is paying the resident’s salaries and fringe benefits, the hospital to which the resident is assigned during the time the vacation is taken is the hospital that counts that FTE time for direct GME and IME. If the rotation schedule does not clearly indicate where the resident is assigned during the time the vacation is taken, the hospitals to which the resident rotates over the course of the academic year would divide and count the resident’s vacation time proportionately based on the amount of time spent in actual training at the respective hospitals.” (Vol. 75, No. 226, 72146)
It is important to consider this rule when entering a resident’s vacation time into your residency management system. Residency management systems are often set up to have one rule for each type of rotation. There are several ways to accurately report the vacation times in a residency management system. One way is to have more than one type of “vacation” rotation that can be used for scheduling.
Let us provide an example. (In order to view the charts, please be sure to select “download pictures” at the top of this email):
Residency Management System’s Rotation Definitions for Hospital A’s IRIS reporting:
As shown in the example above, where the vacation fell in his block schedule determined which vacation rotation was used.
We hope you find this Medicare GME reimbursement tip helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
If you are headed to Orlando to the ACGME Annual conference, please stop by our booth, #51; we would be delighted to meet you.
About the Author:
Sarah Ottesen
626-656-8312
sarah@gmesolutions.com