Quick question: if we stay on a continuing resolution into March, how are VISNs handling 38 U.S.C. 1703 community care authorizations under month-to-month apportionments? I’m trying to understand whether the 28-day specialty care standard is triggering more referrals than budgets can absorb, especially for routine imaging and PT.
We’ve been smoothing CC authorizations under month-to-month apportionments by tagging routine imaging and PT with a ‘defer-to-next tranche’ flag and setting the auth start date for the 1st if they’re still within the ‘28-day’ window, which keeps obligations aligned when the CR runs into March. Caveat: vendors push back if the appointment is booked but the auth start date lags, so we pair it with a quick check-in and a not-to-exceed cap in the note. Are your schedulers allowed to hold CCN slots without an auth for 48 hours, or is finance requiring same-day obligation?