Establish prompt cost report reimbursement act

This bill, known as the Prompt Cost Report Reimbursement Act, requires Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services to process cost reports from critical access hospitals more quickly to ensure timely reimbursement. Currently, the department waits for Medicare audits before settling payments, which has caused multi-year delays for hospitals participating in Montana Medicaid. The law mandates that the department make an interim payment within 240 days of receiving a cost report, treating reported costs as accurate unless there are obvious errors. If an audit later reveals an overpayment, hospitals have 60 days to repay the amount, and if an underpayment is found, the department must reimburse within 90 days. The changes apply retroactively to cost reports submitted before the bill takes effect.