Are there errors?

Every year we receive 2744s with errors that should be fixed prior to submitting the 2744. Sometimes people think, “I’ll see if the system will take this, if I’m able to submit it, then the error is just there for decoration. It went through, it must be okay.” Unfortunately, EQRS will let you submit just about anything on your CMS 2744. There are very few errors that we will accept. The ones we accept are listed below as Errors Which Can Be Accepted with Comments. Notice, that we require comments on all errors that we accept.

Errors Which Can Be Accepted with Comments

• Error-the total number of patients attending school (field 35) cannot be greater than the total number of patients receiving Vocational Rehabilitation services (field 33). The number of patients attending school is incorrect.
  • Cause: EQRS incorrectly linking school and Voc Rehab
  • Action: Check your records and add a comment they are right
• Error-Total Patients (field 26) cannot equal 0 if the facility has not closed.
  • Cause: Seasonal facility or disaster (temporary closure of facility)
  • Action: Enter a comment like “only open part of the year due to”
• Error-The Total number of patients receiving care at the beginning of the survey period (field 03) cannot equal 0 if the facility has not closed.
  • Cause: Seasonal facility, disaster, opened in survey year, but did not have patients at the beginning of the year
  • Action: Enter a comment indicating reason (such as facility opened May 1, 2020)
• Error-The total patients (field 26) cannot be zero (0) for this facility.
  • Cause: Seasonal facility, disaster
  • Action: Enter a comment indicating why the ending total is zero. (We were in the process of closing the facility, but the termination date is in 2021.)

Errors Which Cannot Be Accepted

The following errors are not accepted. The system may allow you to submit, but the Network will reject your 2744 with any of the following errors! If you have one of the errors below, please schedule an appointment with the Network. You can request an appointment https://booknow.appointment-plus.com/9e0k79v2/ (you do not need to login to use this link!) Please choose one of the following appointment types for assistance with the CMS 2744: NW8 Annual Survey Report CMS 2744 Review, NW14 Annual Survey Report CMS 2744 Review, Network 8 or 14 Transplant 2744 Assistance. All these appointment types are 20-minute appointments. We will be as efficient as possible.

• The total number of patients receiving care at the beginning of the survey period (field 03) plus the additions during the survey period (fields 04A through 07B) minus the losses during the survey period (fields 08A through 13B) must equal the total number of patients (field 26).
• Error - The total number of patients receiving incenter hemodialysis (field 14) cannot be greater than the total number of incenter hemodialysis treatments including training (field 37). Hemodialysis total is incorrect.
• Error - The total number of patients receiving incenter hemodialysis (field 14) cannot be greater than the total number of incenter hemodialysis treatments including training (field 37). Hemodialysis total is incorrect.

Are there warnings?

If there is a warning, there must be a comment. The most common warning we see is:

• Warning-the total number of patients receiving care at the beginning of this survey period (field 03) must equal the total number of patients receiving care at the end of the last survey period for this facility (field 26). Please enter a comment.
  • Cause: The ending roster from 2019 does not match the beginning roster from 2020.
  • Action: Please verify that the beginning roster is correct. Run the “Patient Roster Report” for your facility As Of: 1/1/2020. Check it. Important: AKI patients should not be on the roster. Transient patients should not be on the roster. If the roster is right, enter a comment like, “I have validated the beginning roster for 2020.”

Check the treatments

Field 37 Incenter Hemodialysis and Staff assisted Hemodialysis treatments (training treatments)

These are for the whole year. Check this number, please. Remember, if a patient receives 3 treatments a week that’s 156 ICHD treatments in a year for one patient (assuming they never miss). If you have a 100 patients, then I am looking for a number that’s around 15,000 treatments.

Field 38 PD Training Days (not exchanges, just number of training days)

Check the staffing

The staffing numbers are based on 12/31/2020. How many full time (32 hours a week or more) RNs did you have on December 31, 2020? You report that number in column 39, row A. How many Part Time RNs did you have? Report that number in column 40, row A. If you were looking to fill a full time RN position at the end of 2020, that number is reported in column 41, row A. And, finally, column 42, row a, is where you would indicate that you were looking for a Part Time RN at the end of the year.

When Was it Last Generated, and by Whom?

Before you submit your CMS 2744, check to see when it was last generated. It should be generated after February 28, 2021. If it was generated before that date, it will be returned to you with a request that you regenerate it.

Important: Always save your CMS 2744 after you generate it!

Also, be sure that the person who generated the CMS 2744 is associated with your facility. Except for transplant facilities, we require that the CMS 2744 be generated by a person associated with your facility or corporation.