HF 3235

1st Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/18/2016 04:39pm

A bill for an act
relating to human services; increasing medical assistance payment rates for
certain ambulance services; appropriating money to the Emergency Medical
Services Regulatory Board; amending Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement,
section 256B.0625, subdivision 17a.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section 256B.0625, subdivision 17a,
is amended to read:

Subd. 17a.

Payment for ambulance services.

new text begin (a) new text end Medical assistance covers
ambulance services. Providers shall bill ambulance services according to Medicare
criteria. Nonemergency ambulance services shall not be paid as emergencies. Effective
for services rendered on or after July 1, 2001, medical assistance payments for ambulance
services shall be paid at the Medicare reimbursement rate or at the medical assistance
payment rate in effect on July 1, 2000, whichever is greater.

new text begin (b) Effective for services provided on or after July 1, 2016, medical assistance
payment rates for ambulance services identified in this paragraph are increased by five
percent. Capitation payments made to managed care plans and county-based purchasing
plans for ambulance services provided on or after January 1, 2017, shall be adjusted to
reflect this rate increase. The increased rate described in this paragraph applies to:
new text end

new text begin (1) an ambulance service provider whose base of operations, as defined in section
144E.10, is located outside the metropolitan counties listed in section 473.121, subdivision
4, and outside the cities of Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, St. Cloud, and Rochester; or
new text end

new text begin (2) an ambulance service provider whose base of operations, as defined in section
144E.10, is located within a municipality with a population of less than 1,000.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $70,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $55,000 in fiscal year 2017 are appropriated
from the general fund to the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board. Of these
appropriations:
new text end

new text begin (1) $34,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $34,000 in fiscal year 2017 are for annual
support, maintenance, and hosting of the comprehensive electronic licensing and agency
operations software solution;
new text end

new text begin (2) $21,000 in fiscal year 2016 and $21,000 in fiscal year 2017 are for annual support,
maintenance, and housing of the MNSTAR prehospital patient care report database; and
new text end

new text begin (3) $15,000 in fiscal year 2016 is for the board to purchase four 800 megahertz
handheld radios to be used by field staff to meet board responsibilities for emergency
communications during a regional or statewide emergency.
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