Subsection 144-101-III-97-2700 - RECORD KEEPING AND RETENTION OF RECORDS2700.1 Providers must make all financial and member records available to representatives of the State of Maine, Department of Health and Human Services or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the Maine Attorney General's Office, as required by Section 2700.3. The Department will give providers a three-day notice when requesting fiscal records.
2700.2 Each provider must maintain complete documentation, including accurate financial and statistical records, to substantiate the data reported on the cost report.2700.3 Complete documentation means clear evidence of all of the financial transactions of the provider and affiliated entities, including but not limited to census data, ledgers, books, invoices, bank statements, canceled checks, payroll records, copies of governmental filings, time records, time cards, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, inventory records, basis of apportioning costs, matters of provider ownership and organization, resident service charge schedule and amounts of income received by service, Federal and State income tax information, asset acquisition, lease, sale, or any other action, franchise or management arrangement, or any other record which is necessary to provide the Commissioner with the highest degree of confidence in the reliability of the claim for reimbursement. For purposes of this definition, affiliated entities will extend to realty, management, and other entities for which any reimbursement is directly or indirectly claimed, whether or not they fall within the definition of related parties.2700.4 The provider must maintain all such records for at least 5 years from the date of settlement of the final audit. The Division of Audit must keep all cost reports, supporting documentation submitted by the provider, correspondence, work papers and other analysis supporting audits for a period of three years. In the event of litigation or appeal involving rates established under these regulations, the provider and Division of Audit must retain all records that are in any way related to such legal proceeding until the proceeding has terminated and any applicable appeal period has lapsed.2700.5 When the Department determines that a provider is not maintaining records as outlined above for the determination of reasonable cost in the PNMI, the Department, upon determination of just cause, may impose the deficiency rate as described in Section 7000 of these Principles. C.M.R. 10, 144, ch. 101, ch. III, 144-101-III-97, subsec. 144-101-III-97-2700