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256B.48 CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION.

Subdivision 1.Prohibited practices.

A nursing facility is not eligible to receive medical assistance payments unless it refrains from all of the following:

(a) Charging private paying residents rates for similar services which exceed those which are approved by the state agency for medical assistance recipients as determined by the prospective desk audit rate, except under the following circumstances: the nursing facility may (1) charge private paying residents a higher rate for a private room, and (2) charge for special services which are not included in the daily rate if medical assistance residents are charged separately at the same rate for the same services in addition to the daily rate paid by the commissioner. Services covered by the payment rate must be the same regardless of payment source. Special services, if offered, must be available to all residents in all areas of the nursing facility and charged separately at the same rate. Residents are free to select or decline special services. Special services must not include services which must be provided by the nursing facility in order to comply with licensure or certification standards and that if not provided would result in a deficiency or violation by the nursing facility. Services beyond those required to comply with licensure or certification standards must not be charged separately as a special service if they were included in the payment rate for the previous reporting year. A nursing facility that charges a private paying resident a rate in violation of this clause is subject to an action by the state of Minnesota or any of its subdivisions or agencies for civil damages. A private paying resident or the resident's legal representative has a cause of action for civil damages against a nursing facility that charges the resident rates in violation of this clause. The damages awarded shall include three times the payments that result from the violation, together with costs and disbursements, including reasonable attorneys' fees or their equivalent. A private paying resident or the resident's legal representative, the state, subdivision or agency, or a nursing facility may request a hearing to determine the allowed rate or rates at issue in the cause of action. Within 15 calendar days after receiving a request for such a hearing, the commissioner shall request assignment of an administrative law judge under sections 14.48 to 14.56 to conduct the hearing as soon as possible or according to agreement by the parties. The administrative law judge shall issue a report within 15 calendar days following the close of the hearing. The prohibition set forth in this clause shall not apply to facilities licensed as boarding care facilities which are not certified as skilled or intermediate care facilities level I or II for reimbursement through medical assistance.

(b)(1) Charging, soliciting, accepting, or receiving from an applicant for admission to the facility, or from anyone acting in behalf of the applicant, as a condition of admission, expediting the admission, or as a requirement for the individual's continued stay, any fee, deposit, gift, money, donation, or other consideration not otherwise required as payment under the state plan;

(2) requiring an individual, or anyone acting in behalf of the individual, to loan any money to the nursing facility;

(3) requiring an individual, or anyone acting in behalf of the individual, to promise to leave all or part of the individual's estate to the facility; or

(4) requiring a third-party guarantee of payment to the facility as a condition of admission, expedited admission, or continued stay in the facility.

Nothing in this paragraph would prohibit discharge for nonpayment of services in accordance with state and federal regulations.

(c) Requiring any resident of the nursing facility to utilize a vendor of health care services chosen by the nursing facility. A nursing facility may require a resident to use pharmacies that utilize unit dose packing systems approved by the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, and may require a resident to use pharmacies that are able to meet the federal regulations for safe and timely administration of medications such as systems with specific number of doses, prompt delivery of medications, or access to medications on a 24-hour basis. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph, nursing facilities shall not restrict a resident's choice of pharmacy because the pharmacy utilizes a specific system of unit dose drug packing.

(d) Providing differential treatment on the basis of status with regard to public assistance.

(e) Discriminating in admissions, services offered, or room assignment on the basis of status with regard to public assistance or refusal to purchase special services. Admissions discrimination shall include, but is not limited to:

(1) basing admissions decisions upon assurance by the applicant to the nursing facility, or the applicant's guardian or conservator, that the applicant is neither eligible for nor will seek public assistance for payment of nursing facility care costs; and

(2) engaging in preferential selection from waiting lists based on an applicant's ability to pay privately or an applicant's refusal to pay for a special service.

The collection and use by a nursing facility of financial information of any applicant pursuant to a preadmission screening program established by law shall not raise an inference that the nursing facility is utilizing that information for any purpose prohibited by this paragraph.

(f) Requiring any vendor of medical care as defined by section 256B.02, subdivision 7, who is reimbursed by medical assistance under a separate fee schedule, to pay any amount based on utilization or service levels or any portion of the vendor's fee to the nursing facility except as payment for renting or leasing space or equipment or purchasing support services from the nursing facility as limited by section 256B.433. All agreements must be disclosed to the commissioner upon request of the commissioner. Nursing facilities and vendors of ancillary services that are found to be in violation of this provision shall each be subject to an action by the state of Minnesota or any of its subdivisions or agencies for treble civil damages on the portion of the fee in excess of that allowed by this provision and section 256B.433. Damages awarded must include three times the excess payments together with costs and disbursements including reasonable attorney's fees or their equivalent.

(g) Refusing, for more than 24 hours, to accept a resident returning to the same bed or a bed certified for the same level of care, in accordance with a physician's order authorizing transfer, after receiving inpatient hospital services.

For a period not to exceed 180 days, the commissioner may continue to make medical assistance payments to a nursing facility or boarding care home which is in violation of this section if extreme hardship to the residents would result. In these cases the commissioner shall issue an order requiring the nursing facility to correct the violation. The nursing facility shall have 20 days from its receipt of the order to correct the violation. If the violation is not corrected within the 20-day period the commissioner may reduce the payment rate to the nursing facility by up to 20 percent. The amount of the payment rate reduction shall be related to the severity of the violation and shall remain in effect until the violation is corrected. The nursing facility or boarding care home may appeal the commissioner's action pursuant to the provisions of chapter 14 pertaining to contested cases. An appeal shall be considered timely if written notice of appeal is received by the commissioner within 20 days of notice of the commissioner's proposed action.

In the event that the commissioner determines that a nursing facility is not eligible for reimbursement for a resident who is eligible for medical assistance, the commissioner may authorize the nursing facility to receive reimbursement on a temporary basis until the resident can be relocated to a participating nursing facility.

Certified beds in facilities which do not allow medical assistance intake on July 1, 1984, or after shall be deemed to be decertified for purposes of section 144A.071 only.

Subd. 1a.Termination.

If a nursing facility terminates its participation in the medical assistance program, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, the commissioner may authorize the nursing facility to receive continued medical assistance reimbursement until medical assistance residents can be relocated to nursing facilities participating in the medical assistance program.

Subd. 1b.Exception.

Notwithstanding any agreement between a nursing facility and the Department of Human Services or the provisions of this section or section 256B.411, other than subdivision 1a, the commissioner may authorize continued medical assistance payments to a nursing facility which ceased intake of medical assistance recipients prior to July 1, 1983, and which charges private paying residents rates that exceed those permitted by subdivision 1, paragraph (a), for (i) residents who resided in the nursing facility before July 1, 1983, or (ii) residents for whom the commissioner or any predecessors of the commissioner granted a permanent individual waiver prior to October 1, 1983. Nursing facilities seeking continued medical assistance payments under this subdivision shall make the reports required under subdivision 2, except that on or after December 31, 1985, the financial statements required need not be audited by or contain the opinion of a certified public accountant or licensed public accountant, but need only be reviewed by a certified public accountant or licensed public accountant. In the event that the state is determined by the federal government to be no longer eligible for the federal share of medical assistance payments made to a nursing facility under this subdivision, the commissioner may cease medical assistance payments, under this subdivision, to that nursing facility.

Subd. 1c.Case mix rate for provider with addendum to provider agreement.

A nursing facility with an addendum to its provider agreement effective beginning July 1, 1983, or September 24, 1985, shall have its payment rates established by the commissioner under this subdivision. To save medical assistance resources, for rate years beginning after July 1, 1991, the provider's payment rates shall be the payment rates established by the commissioner July 1, 1990, multiplied by a 12-month inflation factor based on the forecasted inflation between the midpoints of rate years using the inflation index applied by the commissioner to other nursing facilities.

The provider and the Department of Health shall complete case mix assessments under Minnesota Rules, chapter 4656, and parts 9549.0058 and 9549.0059, on only those residents receiving medical assistance. The commissioner of health may audit and verify the limited provider assessments at any time.

Subd. 2.Reporting requirements.

No later than December 31 of each year, a skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility, including boarding care facilities, which receives medical assistance payments or other reimbursements from the state agency shall:

(1) provide the state agency with a copy of its audited financial statements. The audited financial statements must include a balance sheet, income statement, statement of the rate or rates charged to private paying residents, statement of retained earnings, statement of cash flows, notes to the financial statements, audited applicable supplemental information, and the certified public accountant's or licensed public accountant's opinion. The examination by the certified public accountant or licensed public accountant shall be conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards as promulgated and adopted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Beginning with the reporting year which begins October 1, 1992, a nursing facility is no longer required to have a certified audit of its financial statements. The cost of a certified audit shall not be an allowable cost in that reporting year, nor in subsequent reporting years unless the nursing facility submits its certified audited financial statements in the manner otherwise specified in this subdivision. A nursing facility which does not submit a certified audit must submit its working trial balance;

(2) provide the state agency with a statement of ownership for the facility;

(3) provide the state agency with separate, audited financial statements as specified in clause (1) for every other facility owned in whole or part by an individual or entity which has an ownership interest in the facility;

(4) upon request, provide the state agency with separate, audited financial statements as specified in clause (1) for every organization with which the facility conducts business and which is owned in whole or in part by an individual or entity which has an ownership interest in the facility;

(5) provide the state agency with copies of leases, purchase agreements, and other documents related to the lease or purchase of the nursing facility;

(6) upon request, provide the state agency with copies of leases, purchase agreements, and other documents related to the acquisition of equipment, goods, and services which are claimed as allowable costs; and

(7) permit access by the state agency to the certified public accountant's and licensed public accountant's audit workpapers which support the audited financial statements required in clauses (1), (3), and (4).

Documents or information provided to the state agency pursuant to this subdivision shall be public. If the requirements of clauses (1) to (7) are not met, the reimbursement rate may be reduced to 80 percent of the rate in effect on the first day of the fourth calendar month after the close of the reporting year, and the reduction shall continue until the requirements are met.

Both nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled must maintain statistical and accounting records in sufficient detail to support information contained in the facility's cost report for at least six years, including the year following the submission of the cost report. For computerized accounting systems, the records must include copies of electronically generated media such as magnetic discs and tapes.

Subd. 3.Incomplete or inaccurate reports.

The commissioner may reject any annual cost report filed by a nursing facility pursuant to this chapter if the commissioner determines that the report or the information required in subdivision 2, clause (1), has been filed in a form that is incomplete or inaccurate. In the event that a report is rejected pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner shall reduce the reimbursement rate to a nursing facility to 80 percent of its most recently established rate until the information is completely and accurately filed. The reinstatement of the total reimbursement rate is retroactive.

Subd. 3a.Audit adjustments.

If the commissioner requests supporting documentation during an audit for an item of cost reported by a long-term care facility, and the long-term care facility's response does not adequately document the item of cost, the commissioner may make reasoned assumptions considered appropriate in the absence of the requested documentation to reasonably establish a payment rate rather than disallow the entire item of cost. This provision shall not diminish the long-term care facility's appeal rights.

Subd. 4.Extensions.

The commissioner may grant up to a 15-day extension of the reporting deadline to a nursing facility for good cause. To receive such an extension, a nursing facility shall submit a written request by December 1. The commissioner will notify the nursing facility of the decision by December 15. Between December 1 and December 31, the nursing facility may request a reporting extension for good cause by telephone and followed by a written request.

Subd. 5.False reports.

If a nursing facility knowingly supplies inaccurate or false information in a required report that results in an overpayment, the commissioner shall:

(1) immediately adjust the nursing facility's payment rate to recover the entire overpayment within the rate year; or

(2) terminate the commissioner's agreement with the nursing facility; or

(3) prosecute under applicable state or federal law; or

(4) use any combination of the foregoing actions.

Subd. 6.Medicare certification.

(a) For purposes of this subdivision, "nursing facility" means a nursing facility that is certified as a skilled nursing facility or, after September 30, 1990, a nursing facility licensed under chapter 144A that is certified as a nursing facility.

(b) All nursing facilities shall participate in Medicare Part A and Part B unless, after submitting an application, Medicare certification is denied by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare review shall be conducted at the time of the annual medical assistance review. Charges for Medicare-covered services provided to residents who are simultaneously eligible for medical assistance and Medicare must be billed to Medicare Part A or Part B before billing medical assistance. Medical assistance may be billed only for charges not reimbursed by Medicare.

(c) After September 30, 1990, a nursing facility satisfies the requirements of paragraph (b) if at least 50 percent of the facility's beds certified as nursing facility beds under the medical assistance program are Medicare certified.

(d) At the request of a facility, the commissioner of human services may reduce the 50 percent Medicare participation requirement in paragraph (c) to no less than 20 percent if the commissioner of health determines that, due to the facility's physical plant configuration, the facility cannot satisfy Medicare distinct part requirements at the 50 percent certification level. To receive a reduction in the participation requirement, a facility must demonstrate that the reduction will not adversely affect access of Medicare-eligible residents to Medicare-certified beds.

(e) The commissioner may grant exceptions to the requirements of paragraph (b) for nursing facilities that are designated as institutions for mental disease.

(f) The commissioner shall inform recipients of their rights under this subdivision and section 144.651, subdivision 29.

Subd. 7.Refund of excess charges.

Any nursing facility which has charged a resident a rate for a case-mix classification upon admission which is in excess of the rate for the case-mix classification established by the commissioner of health and effective on the date of admission, must refund the amount of charge in excess of the rate for the case-mix classification established by the commissioner of health and effective on the date of admission. Refunds must be credited to the next monthly billing or refunded within 15 days of receipt of the classification notice from the Department of Health. Failure to refund the excess charge shall be considered to be a violation of this section.

Subd. 8.Notification to a spouse.

When a private pay resident who has not yet been screened by the preadmission screening team is admitted to a nursing facility or boarding care facility, the nursing facility or boarding care facility must notify the resident and the resident's spouse of the following:

(1) their right to retain certain resources under sections 256B.0575, 256B.058, 256B.059, 256B.0595, and 256B.14, subdivision 2; and

(2) that the federal Medicare hospital insurance benefits program covers posthospital extended care services in a qualified skilled nursing facility for up to 150 days and that there are several limitations on this benefit. The resident and the resident's family must be informed about all mechanisms to appeal limitations imposed under this federal benefit program.

This notice may be included in the nursing facility's or boarding care facility's admission agreement and must clearly explain what resources the resident and spouse may retain if the resident applies for medical assistance. The Department of Human Services must notify nursing facilities and boarding care facilities of changes in the determination of medical assistance eligibility that relate to resources retained by a resident and the resident's spouse.

The preadmission screening team has primary responsibility for informing all private pay applicants to a nursing facility or boarding care facility of the resources the resident and spouse may retain.

Subd. 9.

[Repealed, 2000 c 449 s 15]

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