Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes

256B.438 IMPLEMENTATION OF A CASE MIX SYSTEM.

Subdivision 1.Scope.

This section establishes the method and criteria used to determine resident reimbursement classifications based upon the assessments of residents of nursing homes and boarding care homes whose payment rates are established under section 256B.431, 256B.434, or 256B.441 or any other section. Resident reimbursement classifications shall be established according to the 34 group, resource utilization groups, version III or RUG-III model as described in section 144.0724. Reimbursement classifications established under this section shall be implemented after June 30, 2002, but no later than January 1, 2003. Reimbursement classifications established under this section shall be implemented no earlier than six weeks after the commissioner mails notices of payment rates to the facilities. Effective January 1, 2012, resident reimbursement classifications shall be established according to the 48 group, resource utilization groups, RUG-IV model under section 144.0724.

Subd. 2.Definitions.

For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given.

(a) "Assessment reference date" has the meaning given in section 144.0724, subdivision 2, paragraph (a).

(b) "Case mix index" has the meaning given in section 144.0724, subdivision 2, paragraph (b).

(c) "Index maximization" has the meaning given in section 144.0724, subdivision 2, paragraph (c).

(d) "Minimum data set" has the meaning given in section 144.0724, subdivision 2, paragraph (d).

(e) "Representative" has the meaning given in section 144.0724, subdivision 2, paragraph (e).

(f) "Resource utilization groups" or "RUG" has the meaning given in section 144.0724, subdivision 2, paragraph (f).

Subd. 3.Case mix indices.

(a) The commissioner of human services shall assign a case mix index to each resident class based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services staff time measurement study and adjusted for Minnesota-specific wage indices. The case mix indices assigned to each resident class shall be published in the Minnesota State Register at least 120 days prior to the implementation of the 34 group, RUG-III resident classification system.

(b) An index maximization approach shall be used to classify residents.

(c) After implementation of the revised case mix system, the commissioner of human services may annually rebase case mix indices and base rates using more current data on average wage rates and staff time measurement studies. This rebasing shall be calculated under subdivision 7, paragraph (b). The commissioner shall publish in the Minnesota State Register adjusted case mix indices at least 45 days prior to the effective date of the adjusted case mix indices.

(d) Upon implementation of the 48-group RUG-IV resident classification system, the commissioner of human services shall assign a case mix index to each resident class based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services staff time measurement study. The case mix indices assigned to each resident class shall be published in the State Register at least 120 days prior to the implementation of the RUG-IV resident classification system.

Subd. 4.Resident assessment schedule.

(a) Nursing facilities shall conduct and submit case mix assessments according to the schedule established by the commissioner of health under section 144.0724, subdivisions 4 and 5.

(b) The resident reimbursement classifications established under section 144.0724, subdivision 3, shall be effective the day of admission for new admission assessments. The effective date for significant change assessments shall be the assessment reference date. The effective date for annual and quarterly assessments shall be the first day of the month following assessment reference date.

(c) Effective October 1, 2006, the commissioner shall rebase payment rates to account for the change in the resident assessment schedule in section 144.0724, subdivision 4, paragraph (b), clause (4), in a facility specific budget neutral manner, according to subdivision 7, paragraph (b).

(d) Effective January 1, 2012, the commissioner shall determine payment rates to account for the transition to RUG-IV, in a facility-specific, revenue-neutral manner, according to subdivision 8, paragraph (b).

Subd. 5.Notice of resident reimbursement classification.

Nursing facilities shall provide notice to a resident of the resident's case mix classification according to procedures established by the commissioner of health under section 144.0724, subdivision 7.

Subd. 6.Reconsideration of resident classification.

Any request for reconsideration of a resident classification must be made under section 144.0724, subdivision 8.

Subd. 7.Rate determination upon transition to RUG-III payment rates.

(a) The commissioner of human services shall determine payment rates at the time of transition to the RUG based payment model in a facility-specific, budget-neutral manner. The case mix indices as defined in subdivision 3 shall be used to allocate the case mix adjusted component of total payment across all case mix groups. To transition from the current calculation methodology to the RUG based methodology, the commissioner of health shall report to the commissioner of human services the resident days classified according to the categories defined in subdivision 3 for the 12-month reporting period ending September 30, 2001, for each nursing facility. The commissioner of human services shall use this data to compute the standardized days for the reporting period under the RUG system.

(b) The commissioner of human services shall determine the case mix adjusted component of the rate as follows:

(1) determine the case mix portion of the 11 case mix rates in effect on June 30, 2002, or the 34 case mix rates in effect on or after June 30, 2003;

(2) multiply each amount in clause (1) by the number of resident days assigned to each group for the reporting period ending September 30, 2001, or the most recent year for which data is available;

(3) compute the sum of the amounts in clause (2);

(4) determine the total RUG standardized days for the reporting period ending September 30, 2001, or the most recent year for which data is available using the new indices calculated under subdivision 3, paragraph (c);

(5) divide the amount in clause (3) by the amount in clause (4) which shall be the average case mix adjusted component of the rate under the RUG method; and

(6) multiply this average rate by the case mix weight in subdivision 3 for each RUG group.

(c) The noncase mix component will be allocated to each RUG group as a constant amount to determine the transition payment rate. Any other rate adjustments that are effective on or after July 1, 2002, shall be applied to the transition rates determined under this section.

Subd. 8.Rate determination upon transition to RUG-IV payment rates.

(a) The commissioner of human services shall determine payment rates at the time of transition to the RUG-IV-based payment model in a facility-specific, revenue-neutral manner. To transition from the current calculation methodology to the RUG-IV-based methodology, nursing facilities shall report to the commissioner of human services the private pay and Medicaid resident days classified according to the categories defined in subdivision 3, paragraphs (a) and (d), for the six-month reporting period ending June 30, 2011. This report must be submitted to the commissioner, in a form prescribed by the commissioner, by August 15, 2011. The commissioner of human services shall use this data to compute the standardized days for the RUG-III and RUG-IV classification systems.

(b) The commissioner of human services shall determine the case mix adjusted component for the January 1, 2012, rate as follows:

(1) using the September 30, 2010, cost report, determine the case mix portion of the operating cost for each facility;

(2) multiply the 36 operating payment rates in effect on December 31, 2011, by the number of private pay and Medicaid resident days assigned to each group for the reporting period ending June 30, 2011, and compute the total;

(3) compute the product of the amounts in clauses (1) and (2);

(4) determine the private pay and Medicaid RUG standardized days for the reporting period ending June 30, 2011, using the new indices calculated under subdivision 3, paragraph (d);

(5) divide the amount determined in clause (3) by the amount in clause (4), which shall be the default rate (DDF) unadjusted case mix component of the rate under the RUG-IV method; and

(6) determine the case mix adjusted component of each operating rate by multiplying the default rate (DDF) unadjusted case mix component by the case mix weight in subdivision 3, paragraph (d), for each RUG-IV group.

(c) The noncase mix components will be allocated to each RUG group as a constant amount to determine the operating payment rate.

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes