1. (a) For cost reporting purposes, the program will require submission of annual reports covering a 12-month period of operations based upon the provider's accounting year.
2. (b) The provider may select any annual period for cost reporting purposes as long as the reporting period selected is the same as that used for Medicare reimbursement. Once a provider has made a selection and reported accordingly, it is required thereafter to report annually for periods ending as of the same date, unless the intermediary approves a change in the provider's reporting period.

3. (c) A cost reporting period under the program consisting of one of the following will be considered in compliance with the reporting periods cited above:

   1. (1) 12 successive calendar months;
   2. (2) 13 four-week periods with an additional day (two in a leap year) added to the last week or period to make it coincide with the end of the calendar year or month; or

   3. (3) a reporting period which will vary from 52 to 53 weeks because it must always end on the same day of the week (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) and always end on:

      1. (i) whatever date this same day of the week last occurs in a calendar month; or
      2. (ii) whatever date this same day of the week falls on which is nearest to the last day of the calendar month, even though this same day falls in the first week of the following month.
4. (d) The method selected must be consistently followed.
5. (e) A provider may prepare a short-period cost report for part of a year under the circumstances described in sections 2414.1 through 2414.3 of the Medicare Provider Reimbursement Manual (HIM-15), part I.
6. (f) Providers in a chain organization, or other group of providers, are required to file individual cost reports.
7. (g) Upon entering the health insurance program, a new provider may select an initial cost reporting period of at least 1 month but not to exceed 13 months. For example, a new provider which starts with the Medicare program on September 15, 1974, and wishes to adopt a reporting period ending September 30, 1974, must file a report for the period September 15, 1974 to September 30, 1975. Such a provider cannot file a report for the 15-day period ending September 30, 1974.
8. (h) A hospital beginning operations must select an initial reporting period beginning on the first day of operation, through the last month preceding the hospital's selected fiscal year. For example, a hospital beginning operations August 15, 1980, selecting a fiscal year beginning January 1st, would have an initial fiscal period running from August 15, 1980 through December 31, 1980. It would then move to the standard January 1st to December 31st fiscal year.
9. (i) Whatever fiscal year is used for reporting purposes must coincide with that used for Medicare (Medicaid for Medicaid-only hospitals) cost reporting purposes.

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