HF 2848

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 02/12/2024 01:50pm

A bill for an act
relating to human services; establishing temporary funding for settings that receive
high-acuity patients discharged from hospitals; establishing grants to reimburse
hospitals for avoidable nonacute patient days; appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin PARTIAL REIMBURSEMENT TO HOSPITALS FOR AVOIDABLE
NONACUTE PATIENT DAYS.
new text end

new text begin (a) Beginning July 1, 2023, the commissioner of human services shall make payments
to hospitals as partial reimbursement for qualifying avoidable patient days. The commissioner
shall make payments of up to $1,400 per resident per qualifying avoidable day. A qualifying
avoidable day is either (1) any day a high-acuity patient was boarded in an emergency
department because the patient did not meet the applicable admission criteria and the hospital
could not identify a setting to which the patient could be safely released, or (2) every day
in excess of the seventh consecutive day on which a high-acuity patient was eligible for
discharge from the hospital, but the hospital could not identify any setting to which the
patient could be safely discharged. For the purposes of this section, "high-acuity patient"
means a hospital patient with obesity, a disability, a need for wound care, a mental illness,
high behavior needs, or a substance use disorder or who is receiving intravenous medication
or requires dialysis.
new text end

new text begin (b) By June 15, 2023, hospitals must submit to the commissioner of human services the
total number of qualifying avoidable patient days between January 1, 2023, and March 31,
2023. The commissioner shall make a payment of no more than $1,400 per submitted
qualifying avoidable patient day. To determine the payment amount for each qualifying
avoidable patient day, the commissioner must divide the appropriation available for this
purpose by the number of submitted avoidable patient days. If a portion of the available
appropriation remains after all payments have been made based on the initial submission
of qualifying avoidable patient days, the commissioner must solicit the submission of
additional qualifying avoidable patient days from April 1, 2023, to a date to be determined
by the commissioner that the commissioner estimates will result in the complete expenditure
of the available appropriation after making payments that closely approximate the amount
of the original round of payments.
new text end

new text begin (c) When making payments under this section, the commissioner must not consider the
source of reimbursement for the services provided to the high-acuity patient.
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

Sec. 2. new text begin SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS TO SETTINGS RECEIVING
HIGH-ACUITY HOSPITAL DISCHARGES.
new text end

new text begin (a) Beginning July 1, 2023, the commissioner of human services shall make payments
of $150 per resident per day to nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and other
community-based settings that accept high-acuity patients discharged directly from a hospital.
From the appropriations made available for this purpose, the commissioner must guarantee
the continuation of payments for each resident under this section for at least 365 days, until
the resident ceases to receive services at the receiving facility or community-based setting,
or the resident is no longer a high-acuity patient. For the purposes of this section, "high-acuity
patient" means a hospital patient or former hospital patient with obesity, a disability, a need
for wound care, a mental illness, high behavior needs, or a substance use disorder or who
is receiving intravenous medication or requires dialysis. When distributing supplemental
payments under this section, the commissioner must not consider the source of reimbursement
for the services provided to the high-acuity patients in the receiving setting.
new text end

new text begin (b) A nursing facility, assisted living facility, or other community-based setting that
receives a supplemental payment under this section must use the supplemental payments
for wages or equipment required to provide direct care to the high-acuity patient.
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

Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATION; PARTIAL REIMBURSEMENT TO HOSPITALS FOR
AVOIDABLE NONACUTE PATIENT DAYS.
new text end

new text begin $60,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of human services for payments to hospitals as partial reimbursement for avoidable nonacute
patient days.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin APPROPRIATION; SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS TO SETTINGS
RECEIVING HIGH-ACUITY HOSPITAL DISCHARGES.
new text end

new text begin $82,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $82,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated
from the general fund to the commissioner of human services for supplemental payments
to receiving settings for high-acuity hospital discharges. This is a onetime appropriation.
new text end