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Chapter 256B

Section 256B.0911

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256B.0911 Nursing facility preadmission screening.

Subdivision 1. Purpose and goal. The purpose of the preadmission screening program is to prevent or delay certified nursing facility placements by assessing applicants and residents and offering cost-effective alternatives appropriate for the person's needs. Further, the goal of the program is to contain costs associated with unnecessary certified nursing facility admissions. The commissioners of human services and health shall seek to maximize use of available federal and state funds and establish the broadest program possible within the funding available.

Subd. 2. Persons required to be screened; exemptions. All applicants to Medicaid certified nursing facilities must be screened prior to admission, regardless of income, assets, or funding sources, except the following:

(1) patients who, having entered acute care facilities from certified nursing facilities, are returning to a certified nursing facility;

(2) residents transferred from other certified nursing facilities located within the state of Minnesota;

(3) individuals who have a contractual right to have their nursing facility care paid for indefinitely by the veteran's administration;

(4) individuals who are enrolled in the Ebenezer/Group Health social health maintenance organization project, or enrolled in a demonstration project under section 256B.69, subdivision 8, at the time of application to a nursing home;

(5) individuals previously screened and currently being served under the alternative care program or under a home and community-based services waiver authorized under section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act; or

(6) individuals who are admitted to a certified nursing facility for a short-term stay, which, based upon a physician's certification, is expected to be 14 days or less in duration, and who have been screened and approved for nursing facility admission within the previous six months. This exemption applies only if the screener determines at the time of the initial screening of the six-month period that it is appropriate to use the nursing facility for short-term stays and that there is an adequate plan of care for return to the home or community-based setting. If a stay exceeds 14 days, the individual must be referred no later than the first county working day following the 14th resident day for a screening, which must be completed within five working days of the referral. Payment limitations in subdivision 7 will apply to an individual found at screening to not meet the level of care criteria for admission to a certified nursing facility.

Regardless of the exemptions in clauses (2) to (6), persons who have a diagnosis or possible diagnosis of mental illness, mental retardation, or a related condition must receive a preadmission screening before admission unless the admission prior to screening is authorized by the local mental health authority or the local developmental disabilities case manager, or unless authorized by the county agency according to Public Law Number 101-508.

Before admission to a Medicaid certified nursing home or boarding care home, all persons must be screened and approved for admission through an assessment process. The nursing facility is authorized to conduct case mix assessments which are not conducted by the county public health nurse under Minnesota Rules, part 9549.0059. The designated county agency is responsible for distributing the quality assurance and review form for all new applicants to nursing homes.

Other persons who are not applicants to nursing facilities must be screened if a request is made for a screening.

Subd. 2a. Screening requirements. Persons may be screened by telephone or in a face-to-face consultation. The screener will identify each individual's needs according to the following categories: (1) needs no face-to-face screening; (2) needs an immediate face-to-face screening interview; or (3) needs a face-to-face screening interview after admission to a certified nursing facility or after a return home. The screener shall confer with the screening team to ensure that the health and social needs of the individual are assessed. Persons who are not admitted to a Medicaid certified nursing facility must be screened within ten working days after the date of referral. Persons admitted on a nonemergency basis to a Medicaid certified nursing facility must be screened prior to the certified nursing facility admission. Persons admitted to the Medicaid certified nursing facility from the community on an emergency basis or from an acute care facility on a nonworking day must be screened the first working day after admission and the reason for the emergency admission must be certified by the attending physician in the person's medical record.

Subd. 3. Persons responsible for conducting the preadmission screening. (a) A local screening team shall be established by the county board of commissioners. Each local screening team shall consist of screeners who are a social worker and a public health nurse from their respective county agencies. If a county does not have a public health nurse available, it may request approval from the commissioner to assign a county registered nurse with at least one year experience in home care to participate on the team. The screening team members must confer regarding the most appropriate care for each individual screened. Two or more counties may collaborate to establish a joint local screening team or teams.

(b) In assessing a person's needs, screeners shall have a physician available for consultation and shall consider the assessment of the individual's attending physician, if any. The individual's physician shall be included if the physician chooses to participate. Other personnel may be included on the team as deemed appropriate by the county agencies.

Subd. 4. Responsibilities of the county and the screening team. (a) The county shall:

(1) provide information and education to the general public regarding availability of the preadmission screening program;

(2) accept referrals from individuals, families, human service and health professionals, and hospital and nursing facility personnel;

(3) assess the health, psychological, and social needs of referred individuals and identify services needed to maintain these persons in the least restrictive environments;

(4) determine if the individual screened needs nursing facility level of care;

(5) assess specialized service needs based upon an evaluation by:

(i) a qualified independent mental health professional for persons with a primary or secondary diagnosis of a serious mental illness; and

(ii) a qualified mental retardation professional for persons with a primary or secondary diagnosis of mental retardation or related conditions. For purposes of this clause, a qualified mental retardation professional must meet the standards for a qualified mental retardation professional in Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 483.430;

(6) make recommendations for individuals screened regarding cost-effective community services which are available to the individual;

(7) make recommendations for individuals screened regarding nursing home placement when there are no cost-effective community services available;

(8) develop an individual's community care plan and provide follow-up services as needed; and

(9) prepare and submit reports that may be required by the commissioner of human services.

(b) The screener shall document that the most cost-effective alternatives available were offered to the individual or the individual's legal representative. For purposes of this section, "cost-effective alternatives" means community services and living arrangements that cost the same or less than nursing facility care.

(c) For persons who are eligible for medical assistance or who would be eligible within 180 days of admission to a nursing facility and who are admitted to a nursing facility, the nursing facility must include a screener or the case manager in the discharge planning process for those individuals who the team has determined have discharge potential. The screener or the case manager must ensure a smooth transition and follow-up for the individual's return to the community.

Screeners shall cooperate with other public and private agencies in the community, in order to offer a variety of cost-effective services to the disabled and elderly. The screeners shall encourage the use of volunteers from families, religious organizations, social clubs, and similar civic and service organizations to provide services.

Subd. 5. Simplification of forms. The commissioner shall minimize the number of forms required in the preadmission screening process and shall limit the screening document to items necessary for care plan approval, reimbursement, program planning, evaluation, and policy development.

Subd. 6. Payment for preadmission screening. (a) The total screening payment for each county must be paid monthly by certified nursing facilities in the county. The monthly amount to be paid by each nursing facility for each fiscal year must be determined by dividing the county's annual allocation for screenings by 12 to determine the monthly payment and allocating the monthly payment to each nursing facility based on the number of licensed beds in the nursing facility.

(b) The commissioner shall include the total annual payment for screening for each nursing facility according to section 256B.431, subdivision 2b, paragraph (g), or 256B.435.

(c) Payments for screening activities are available to the county or counties to cover staff salaries and expenses to provide the screening function. The lead agency shall employ, or contract with other agencies to employ, within the limits of available funding, sufficient personnel to conduct the preadmission screening activity while meeting the state's long-term care outcomes and objectives as defined in section 256B.0917, subdivision 1. The local agency shall be accountable for meeting local objectives as approved by the commissioner in the CSSA biennial plan.

(d) Notwithstanding section 256B.0641, overpayments attributable to payment of the screening costs under the medical assistance program may not be recovered from a facility.

(e) The commissioner of human services shall amend the Minnesota medical assistance plan to include reimbursement for the local screening teams.

Subd. 7. Reimbursement for certified nursing facilities. (a) Medical assistance reimbursement for nursing facilities shall be authorized for a medical assistance recipient only if a preadmission screening has been conducted prior to admission or the local county agency has authorized an exemption. Medical assistance reimbursement for nursing facilities shall not be provided for any recipient who the local screener has determined does not meet the level of care criteria for nursing facility placement or, if indicated, has not had a level II PASARR evaluation completed unless an admission for a recipient with mental illness is approved by the local mental health authority or an admission for a recipient with mental retardation or related condition is approved by the state mental retardation authority.

(b) The commissioner shall make a request to the health care financing administration for a waiver allowing screening team approval of Medicaid payments for certified nursing facility care. An individual has a choice and makes the final decision between nursing facility placement and community placement after the screening team's recommendation, except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c).

(c) The local county mental health authority or the state mental retardation authority under Public Law Numbers 100-203 and 101-508 may prohibit admission to a nursing facility, if the individual does not meet the nursing facility level of care criteria or needs specialized services as defined in Public Law Numbers 100-203 and 101-508. For purposes of this section, "specialized services" for a person with mental retardation or a related condition means "active treatment" as that term is defined in Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 483.440(a)(1).

(d) Never effective

(e) Appeals from the screening team's recommendation or the county agency's final decision shall be made according to section 256.045, subdivision 3.

Subd. 8. Advisory committee. The commissioner shall appoint an advisory committee to advise the commissioner on the preadmission screening program, the alternative care program under section 256B.0913, and the home and community-based services waiver programs for the elderly and the disabled. The advisory committee shall review policies and procedures and provide advice and technical assistance to the commissioner regarding the effectiveness and the efficient administration of the programs. The advisory committee must consist of not more than 22 people appointed by the commissioner and must be comprised of representatives from public agencies, public and private service providers, two representatives of nursing home associations, and consumers from all areas of the state. Members of the advisory committee must not be compensated for service.

Subd. 9. Case mix assessments. The nursing facility is authorized to conduct all case mix assessments for persons who have been admitted to the facility prior to a preadmission screening. The county shall conduct the case mix assessment for all persons screened within ten working days prior to admission. The county retains the responsibility of distributing appropriate case mix forms to the nursing facility.

HIST: 1991 c 292 art 7 s 14; 1992 c 513 art 7 s 53-55; 1Sp1993 c 1 art 5 s 56-61,135; 1995 c 207 art 6 s 57-61; 1997 c 203 art 4 s 34; art 9 s 10; 1997 c 225 art 8 s 6; 1998 c 407 art 4 s 33-35; 1999 c 245 art 3 s 12

* NOTE: Preadmission screening, alternative care, and home *and community-based services advisory committee expires June 30, *2001. See section 15.059, subdivision 5a.

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Revisor of Statutes