Minnesota Legislature
HF 3691
as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 03/21/2022 04:25pm
Current Version - as introduced
1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20
2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24
2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29
2.30
A bill for an act
relating to human services; modifying payment rates for ambulance services;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256B.0625,
subdivision 17a.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 256B.0625, subdivision 17a, is amended to
read:
Subd. 17a.
deleted text begin Payment fordeleted text end Ambulance services.
(a) Medical assistance covers ambulance
servicesnew text begin , including medically necessary ambulance services to transfer a patient between
hospitals in order for a hospital to maintain its capacity to treat incoming patientsnew text end .
new text begin
(b) A hospital using ambulance services to transfer a patient to another facility to maintain
the hospital's capacity must document its lack of capacity, the type of capacity created by
the transfer, which receiving facility the hospital selected, why the hospital selected that
receiving facility, and that the use of ambulance services to transfer the patient is medically
necessary.
new text end
new text begin (c)new text end Providers shall bill ambulance services according to Medicare criteria. Nonemergency
ambulance services shall not be paid as emergencies. deleted text begin Effective for services rendered on or
after July 1, 2001,deleted text end Medical assistance payments for ambulance services shall be paid at the
Medicare reimbursement rate deleted text begin or at the medical assistance payment rate in effect on July 1,
2000, whichever is greaterdeleted text end .
deleted text begin (b) Effective for services provided on or after July 1, 2016,deleted text end new text begin (d)new text end Medical assistance
payment rates deleted text begin for ambulance services identified in this paragraphdeleted text end are increased by five
percentdeleted text begin . Capitation payments made to managed care plans and county-based purchasing
plans for ambulance services provided on or after January 1, 2017, shall be increased to
reflect this rate increase. The increased rate described in this paragraph applies todeleted text end new text begin fornew text end
ambulance service providers whose base of operations as defined in section deleted text begin 144E.10 isdeleted text end new text begin
144E.001 arenew text end located:
(1) outside the metropolitan counties listed in section 473.121, subdivision 4, and outside
the cities of Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, St. Cloud, and Rochester; or
(2) within a municipality with a population of less than 1,000.
new text begin
(e) Managed care plans and county-based purchasing plans shall reimburse providers
at a level that is at least equal to the rate paid under fee-for-service. If, for any coverage
year, federal approval is not received for this paragraph, the commissioner shall adjust the
capitation rates paid to managed care plans and county-based purchasing plans for that
contract year to reflect the removal of this provision. Contracts between managed care plans
and county-based purchasing plans and providers to whom this paragraph applies must
allow recovery of payments from those providers if the commissioner adjusts capitation
rates in accordance with this paragraph. Payment recoveries must not exceed an amount
equal to any increase in rates that results from this paragraph. If, for any coverage year,
federal approval is not received for this paragraph, the commissioner shall not implement
this paragraph for subsequent coverage years, and this paragraph expires. The commissioner
shall inform the revisor of statutes if, for any coverage year, federal approval is not received
for this paragraph.
new text end
new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end
new text begin
Paragraphs (a) to (d) are effective the day following final
enactment and apply to ambulance services provided on or after that date. Paragraph (e) is
effective upon federal approval. The commissioner of human services shall inform the
revisor of statutes when federal approval is obtained.
new text end
Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end
new text begin
$31,500,000 in fiscal year 2022 is appropriated from the general fund to the Emergency
Medical Services Regulatory Board for lump sum payments to licensed ambulance services
in the amount of $35,000 per in-service ambulance. This is a onetime appropriation. For
the purposes of this section, the definitions of Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144E, apply.
new text end
new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end
new text begin
This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end