HF 2866

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 03/14/2012 11:39am

A bill for an act
relating to human services; establishing the Nonemergency Medical
Transportation Advisory Committee; requiring the commissioner of human
services to establish a single administrative structure and delivery system
for nonemergency medical transportation, a statewide enrollee assessment
process, and measures to evaluate the performance and cost-effectiveness
of nonemergency medical transportation services; providing appointments;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 256B.0625, by adding subdivisions.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 256B.0625, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 18c. new text end

new text begin Nonemergency Medical Transportation Advisory Committee. new text end

new text begin (a)
The commissioner shall establish a 17-member Nonemergency Medical Transportation
Advisory Committee. The advisory committee shall advise the commissioner on the
administration of nonemergency medical transportation covered under medical assistance.
The advisory committee shall meet at least quarterly, and may meet more frequently
as required by the commissioner. The advisory committee shall annually elect a chair
from among its members, who shall work with the commissioner or the commissioner's
designee to establish the agenda for each meeting.
new text end

new text begin (b) The Nonemergency Medical Transportation Advisory Committee shall advise
and make recommendations to the commissioner on:
new text end

new text begin (1) the development of, and periodic updates to, a policy manual for nonemergency
medical transportation services;
new text end

new text begin (2) policies and a funding source for reimbursing no-load miles;
new text end

new text begin (3) policies to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, and to improve the efficiency of the
nonemergency medical transportation system;
new text end

new text begin (4) other issues identified in the 2011 evaluation report by the Office of the
Legislative Auditor on medical nonemergency transportation; and
new text end

new text begin (5) other aspects of the nonemergency medical transportation system, as requested
by the commissioner.
new text end

new text begin (c) The Nonemergency Medical Transportation Advisory Committee shall
coordinate its activities with the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access established
under section 174.285.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 256B.0625, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 18d. new text end

new text begin Advisory committee members. new text end

new text begin (a) The Nonemergency Medical
Transportation Advisory Committee consists of:
new text end

new text begin (1) two voting members who represent counties, at least one of whom must represent
a county or counties other than Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti,
Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright;
new text end

new text begin (2) four voting members who represent consumers, including persons with physical
and developmental disabilities, persons with mental illness, seniors, children, and
low-income consumers;
new text end

new text begin (3) four voting members who represent providers that deliver nonemergency medical
transportation services to medical assistance enrollees;
new text end

new text begin (4) two voting members of the house of representatives, one from the majority party
and one from the minority party, appointed by the speaker, and two voting members from
the senate, one from the majority party and one from the minority party, appointed by the
Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration;
new text end

new text begin (5) one voting member who represents demonstration providers, as defined in
section 256B.69, subdivision 2;
new text end

new text begin (6) one voting member who represents an organization that contracts with state or
local governments to coordinate transportation services for medical assistance enrollees;
and
new text end

new text begin (7) the commissioner of transportation or the commissioner's designee, who shall
serve as a voting member.
new text end

new text begin (b) Members of the advisory committee shall not be employed by the Department
of Human Services.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 256B.0625, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 18e. new text end

new text begin Advisory committee terms; compensation; expiration. new text end

new text begin (a) The terms
of members of the Nonemergency Medical Transportation Advisory Committee shall
expire December 1, 2014. Members shall receive reimbursement only for expenses.
new text end

new text begin (b) The Nonemergency Medical Transportation Advisory Committee shall expire
December 1, 2014.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 256B.0625, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 18f. new text end

new text begin Single administrative structure and delivery system. new text end

new text begin (a) The
commissioner shall implement a single administrative structure and delivery system for
nonemergency medical transportation beginning July 1, 2013. The single administrative
structure and delivery system must:
new text end

new text begin (1) eliminate the distinction between access transportation services and special
transportation services;
new text end

new text begin (2) provide flexibility in service delivery and recognize that clients fall along a
continuum of needs and resources; and
new text end

new text begin (3) maintain a strong regulatory structure for current special transportation service
providers, and expand its application to include taxis and other common carriers, while
excluding volunteer, mass transit, and personal mileage transportation.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner shall present to the legislature by January 15, 2013, any draft
legislation necessary to implement the single administrative structure and delivery system
for nonemergency medical transportation.
new text end

new text begin (c) In developing the single administrative structure and delivery system and
the draft legislation, the commissioner shall consult with the Nonemergency Medical
Transportation Advisory Committee.
new text end

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 256B.0625, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 18g. new text end

new text begin Enrollee assessment process. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner, in consultation
with the Nonemergency Medical Transportation Advisory Committee, shall develop and
implement by July 1, 2013, a comprehensive, statewide, standard assessment process
for medical assistance enrollees seeking nonemergency medical transportation services.
The assessment process must identify a client's level of needs, abilities, and resources,
and match the client with the mode of transportation in the client's service area that best
meets those needs.
new text end

new text begin (b) The assessment process must:
new text end

new text begin (1) address mental health diagnoses when determining the most appropriate mode of
transportation;
new text end

new text begin (2) base decisions on clearly defined criteria that are available to clients, providers,
and counties;
new text end

new text begin (3) be standardized across the state and be aligned with other similar existing
processes;
new text end

new text begin (4) allow for extended periods of eligibility for certain types of nonemergency
transportation when a client's condition is unlikely to change; and
new text end

new text begin (5) increase the use of public transportation when appropriate and cost-effective,
including offering monthly bus passes to clients.
new text end

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 256B.0625, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 18h. new text end

new text begin Use of standardized measures. new text end

new text begin The commissioner, in consultation
with the Nonemergency Medical Transportation Advisory Committee, shall establish
performance measures to assess the cost-effectiveness and quality of nonemergency
medical transportation. In establishing these measures, the commissioner shall consider
the measures identified in the January 2012 Department of Human Services report to
the legislature on nonemergency medical transportation. Beginning in calendar year
2013, the commissioner shall annually collect data on these performance measures from
providers, brokers, and level of need assessors, audit and analyze these data, and make
the results of this audit and analysis available to the public on the agency's Web site. The
commissioner shall periodically supplement this information with the results of consumer
surveys of the quality of services, and shall make these survey findings available to the
public on the agency's Web site.
new text end