Minnesota Session Laws - 2017, Regular Session

CHAPTER 32--S.F.No. 1616

An act

relating to human services; establishing a contingent, alternate medical assistance payment method for children's hospitals;

amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 256.969, subdivision 4b, by adding a subdivision.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 256.969, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 2e. new text end

new text begin Alternate inpatient payment rate. new text end

new text begin (a) If the days, costs, and revenues associated with patients who are eligible for medical assistance and also have private health insurance are required to be included in the calculation of the hospital-specific disproportionate share hospital payment limit for a rate year, then the commissioner, effective retroactively from rate years beginning on or after January 1, 2015, shall compute an alternate inpatient payment rate for a Minnesota hospital that is designated as a children's hospital and enumerated as such by Medicare. The commissioner shall reimburse the hospital for a rate year at the higher of the amount calculated under the alternate payment rate or the amount calculated under subdivision 9. new text end

new text begin (b) The alternate payment rate must meet the criteria in clauses (1) to (4): new text end

new text begin (1) the alternate payment rate shall be structured to target a total aggregate reimbursement amount equal to two percent less than each children's hospital's cost coverage percentage in the applicable base year for providing fee-for-service inpatient services under this section to patients enrolled in medical assistance; new text end

new text begin (2) costs shall be determined using the most recently available medical assistance cost report provided under subdivision 4b, paragraph (a), clause (3), for the applicable base year. Costs shall be determined using standard Medicare cost finding and cost allocation methods and applied in the same manner as the costs were in the rebasing for the applicable base year. If the medical assistance cost report is not available, costs shall be determined in the interim using the Medicare cost report; new text end

new text begin (3) in any rate year in which payment to a hospital is made using the alternate payment rate, no payments shall be made to the hospital under subdivision 9; and new text end

new text begin (4) if the alternate payment amount increases payments at a rate that is higher than the inflation factor applied over the rebasing period, the commissioner shall take this into consideration when setting payment rates at the next rebasing. new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 256.969, subdivision 4b, is amended to read:

Subd. 4b.

Medical assistance cost reports for services.

(a) A hospital that meets one of the following criteria must annually submit to the commissioner medical assistance cost reports within six months of the end of the hospital's fiscal year:

(1) a hospital designated as a critical access hospital that receives medical assistance payments; deleted text begin or deleted text end

(2) a Minnesota hospital or out-of-state hospital located within a Minnesota local trade area that receives a disproportionate population adjustment under subdivision 9 new text begin ; or new text end

new text begin (3) a Minnesota hospital that is designated as a children's hospital and enumerated as such by Medicare new text end .

For purposes of this subdivision, local trade area has the meaning given in subdivision 17.

(b) The commissioner shall suspend payments to any hospital that fails to submit a report required under this subdivision. Payments must remain suspended until the report has been filed with and accepted by the commissioner.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective retroactively from January 1, 2015. new text end

Presented to the governor May 8, 2017

Signed by the governor May 11, 2017, 10:44 a.m.