Ask the Experts: SSI percentage and eligibility

Our Supplemental Security Income (SSI) percentage has fluctuated significantly over the past few years. How does your facility track its SSI percentage? Do you rely on the annual publication of SSI percentages issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services? Does anyone know of a database we can access against which we could bump up our patient data to see if the patient is SSI eligible?

Answer: This is definitely an issue as the SSI ratio bounces around quite a bit. In previous roles, I’ve used a five-year rolling average of the SSI ratio for disproportionate share hospital (DSH) reserve account models. It’s not perfect by any means but provides a little more stability than the year-to-year volatility.

This question was answered by: Chad Mulvany, director, Healthcare Financial Practices Perspectives and Analysis, HFMA.