Massena (N.Y.) Memorial Hospital leaders remain skeptical they will receive any money back from the $1.6 million they were told they had to pay to the federal Medicare program, according to a Daily Courier-Observer report.
"We think the chances are pretty slim," the hospital's CEO, Robert Wolleben, said, according to the report.
Last November, Medicare notified MMH officials, claiming the hospital owes $1.6 million to Medicare after the federal program overpaid the hospital. The hospital, which receives funds from the Medicare low volume adjustment, was told to pay the amount by a certain time or it would be charged 9.635 percent interest.
The notification came after Medicare recalculated their reimbursement formula, making the change retroactive to 2011. Other hospitals in New York and Maine were also told they owed Medicare money, according to the report.
MMH worked out a six-month payback schedule, according to the report. But in the meantime, Mr. Wolleben said, they had reached out to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) for assistance. Despite efforts by the senator's office, nothing has transpired yet — and may not, according to the report.
"They're still working on it. If it happens, that's a guess, I think it will happen late in the federal year, which is September, and it may be some kind of negotiated settlement that's buried somewhere else. That would be my guess. I think it's going to be very difficult to get it," Mr. Wolleben said.