SF 1010

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 03/14/2017 10:10am

A bill for an act
relating to human services; modifying provisions related to specialized care
facilities; modifying criteria for determining when an area of the state is a hardship
area with regard to access to nursing facility services; amending Minnesota Statutes
2016, sections 144A.071, subdivision 3; 256R.46.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 144A.071, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Exceptions authorizing increase in beds; hardship areas.

(a) The
commissioner of health, in coordination with the commissioner of human services, may
approve the addition of new licensed and Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home
beds, using the criteria and process set forth in this subdivision.

(b) The commissioner, in cooperation with the commissioner of human services, shall
consider the following criteria when determining that an area of the state is a hardship area
with regard to access to nursing facility services:

(1) a low number of beds per thousand in a specified area using as a standard the beds
per thousand people age 65 and older, in five year age groups, using data from the most
recent census and population projections, weighted by each group's most recent nursing
home utilization, of the county at the 20th percentile, as determined by the commissioner
of human services;

(2) a high level of out-migration for nursing facility services associated with a described
area from the county or counties of residence to other Minnesota counties, as determined
by the commissioner of human services, using as a standard an amount greater than the
out-migration of the county ranked at the 50th percentile;

(3) an adequate level of availability of noninstitutional long-term care services measured
as public spending for home and community-based long-term care services per individual
age 65 and older, in five year age groups, using data from the most recent census and
population projections, weighted by each group's most recent nursing home utilization, as
determined by the commissioner of human services using as a standard an amount greater
than the 50th percentile of counties;

(4) there must be a declaration of hardship resulting from insufficient access to nursing
home beds by local county agencies and area agencies on aging; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

new text begin (5) inadequate options for subacute care, transitional care, or residential outpatient
treatment following the discharge from a hospital for patients who have major disorders of
thought, mood, or cognition, whose disorders are concurrent with medical diagnoses or
aggressive behaviors, who are unable to care for themselves, and who require nursing home
level of care; and
new text end

deleted text begin (5) deleted text end new text begin (6) new text end other factors that may demonstrate the need to add new nursing facility beds.

(c) On August 15 of odd-numbered years, the commissioner, in cooperation with the
commissioner of human services, may publish in the State Register a request for information
in which interested parties, using the data provided under section 144A.351, along with any
other relevant data, demonstrate that a specified area is a hardship area with regard to access
to nursing facility services. For a response to be considered, the commissioner must receive
it by November 15. The commissioner shall make responses to the request for information
available to the public and shall allow 30 days for comment. The commissioner shall review
responses and comments and determine if any areas of the state are to be declared hardship
areas.

(d) For each designated hardship area determined in paragraph (c), the commissioner
shall publish a request for proposals in accordance with section 144A.073 and Minnesota
Rules, parts 4655.1070 to 4655.1098. The request for proposals must be published in the
State Register by March 15 following receipt of responses to the request for information.
The request for proposals must specify the number of new beds which may be added in the
designated hardship area, which must not exceed the number which, if added to the existing
number of beds in the area, including beds in layaway status, would have prevented it from
being determined to be a hardship area under paragraph (b), clause (1). Beginning July 1,
2011, the number of new beds approved must not exceed 200 beds statewide per biennium.
After June 30, 2019, the number of new beds that may be approved in a biennium must not
exceed 300 statewide. For a proposal to be considered, the commissioner must receive it
within six months of the publication of the request for proposals. The commissioner shall
review responses to the request for proposals and shall approve or disapprove each proposal
by the following July 15, in accordance with section 144A.073 and Minnesota Rules, parts
4655.1070 to 4655.1098. The commissioner shall base approvals or disapprovals on a
comparison and ranking of proposals using only the criteria in subdivision 4a. Approval of
a proposal expires after 18 months unless the facility has added the new beds using existing
space, subject to approval by the commissioner, or has commenced construction as defined
in section 144A.071, subdivision 1a, paragraph (d). If, after the approved beds have been
added, fewer than 50 percent of the beds in a facility are newly licensed, the operating
payment rates previously in effect shall remain. If, after the approved beds have been added,
50 percent or more of the beds in a facility are newly licensed, operating payment rates shall
be determined according to Minnesota Rules, part 9549.0057, using the limits under deleted text begin section
256B.441 deleted text end new text begin chapter 256R new text end . External fixed payment rates must be determined according to
section deleted text begin 256B.441, subdivision 53 deleted text end new text begin 256R.25 new text end . Property payment rates for facilities with beds
added under this subdivision must be determined in the same manner as rate determinations
resulting from projects approved and completed under section 144A.073.

(e) The commissioner may:

(1) certify or license new beds in a new facility that is to be operated by the commissioner
of veterans affairs or when the costs of constructing and operating the new beds are to be
reimbursed by the commissioner of veterans affairs or the United States Veterans
Administration; and

(2) license or certify beds in a facility that has been involuntarily delicensed or decertified
for participation in the medical assistance program, provided that an application for
relicensure or recertification is submitted to the commissioner by an organization that is
not a related organization as defined in section deleted text begin 256B.441 deleted text end new text begin 256R.02 new text end , subdivision deleted text begin 34 deleted text end new text begin 43 new text end , to
the prior licensee within 120 days after delicensure or decertification.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 256R.46, is amended to read:

256R.46 SPECIALIZED CARE FACILITIES.

(a) The total care-related payment rate limit for specialized care facilities shall be
increased by new text begin :
new text end

new text begin (1) new text end 50 percent new text begin for specialized care facilities under paragraph (b), clause (1); and
new text end

new text begin (2) 100 percent for up to 50 beds in specialized care facilities under paragraph (b), clause
(2) new text end .

(b) "Specialized care facilities" are defined as new text begin :
new text end

new text begin (1) new text end a facility having a program licensed under chapter 245A and Minnesota Rules, chapter
9570, or a facility with 96 beds on January 1, 2015, located in Robbinsdale that specializes
in the treatment of Huntington's Disease deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ; or
new text end

new text begin (2) a nursing facility or a unit of a nursing facility that admits after discharge from a
hospital persons who have major disorders of thought, mood, or cognition, whose disorders
are concurrent with medical diagnoses or aggressive behaviors, who are unable to care for
themselves, and who require nursing home level of care, but for whom no appropriate
subacute care, transitional care, or residential outpatient options are available upon hospital
discharge. The commissioner may allow higher rates for up to 50 beds statewide in
specialized care facilities or units as defined in this clause to become effective when residents
are first admitted to that facility or unit and to remain in effect until rates for that facility or
unit are based on its actual costs set using the higher limits allowed in this section. The sum
of the number of beds receiving interim rates under this clause and the number of beds
subject to an increased care-related payment rate limit for patients must not exceed 50. The
commissioner shall recover any amounts paid under this clause that exceeded the allowable
reported costs for this initial period.
new text end

new text begin (c) Any hospital system that discharges a patient to a specialized care facility as defined
in paragraph (b), clause (2), must provide the specialized nursing facility with programmatic
supports for the patient. Programmatic supports include cooperating with the nursing facility
in coordinating postdischarge care, ensuring the patient receives the appropriate level of
care, and planning for discharge from the nursing facility.
new text end