MedicaidAdministrativeMedium impact
Cognito Implementation: New Process for Submitting Span Inquiries to LTCPRU
Maryland Medicaid·MD · Geriatrics, Palliative Care·Provider Transmittal
Effective date
Sep 1, 2022
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
Effective September 1, 2022, nursing facilities and chronic hospitals in Maryland must submit all span inquiries (short-term stays, hospice revocation, Medicare coinsurance stays, special program conflicts) to the Long Term Care Provider Resolution Unit (LTCPRU) via the Cognito web-based platform. Email and faxed inquiries will no longer be accepted. This change affects the submission process for span inquiries only; claims submission procedures remain unchanged.
Action Required
By September 1, 2022: Billing and administrative staff at nursing facilities and chronic hospitals must transition from email/fax submission to Cognito platform for all span inquiries. SPECIFIC ACTIONS: (1) Designate one institutional point of contact to receive all submission confirmation and approval/denial emails in the Cognito system; (2) Train all staff who submit span inquiries to use the Cognito form at https://www.cognitoforms.com/MDH3/longtermcareproviderresolutionunitltcpruinquiryrequest; (3) Instruct staff to save or print the confirmation pop-up receipt immediately after submission for records; (4) Update internal submission procedures to remove email and fax pathways for LTCPRU span inquiries; (5) Ensure claims are submitted within 60 days of LTCPRU approval to avoid non-payment. CONSEQUENCES: Span inquiries submitted via email or fax after the effective date will not be accepted by LTCPRU, delaying approvals and potentially resulting in claim denials for impacted dates of service.