PROPOSED RULES
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Medical Assistance Administration)
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 05-06-080.
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: (Part 1 of 2) Amending WAC 388-550-3300 Hospital peer groups and cost caps, 388-550-4300 Hospitals and units exempt from the DRG payment method, 388-550-4600 Hospital selective contracting program and 388-550-4800 Hospital payment methods -- State administered programs; and new WAC 388-550-4650 "Full cost" public hospital certified public expenditure (CPE) payment program.
Hearing Location(s): Blake Office Park East (behind Goodyear Courtesy Tire), Rose Room, 4500 10th Avenue S.E., Lacey, WA, on May 24, 2005, at 10:00 a.m.
Date of Intended Adoption: Not sooner than May 25, 2005.
Submit Written Comments to: DSHS Rules Coordinator, P.O. Box 45850, Olympia, WA 98504, delivery 4500 10th Avenue S.E., Lacey, WA, e-mail fernaax@dshs.wa.gov, fax (360) 664-6185, by 5:00 p.m., May 24, 2005.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact Andy Fernando, DSHS Rules Coordinator, by May 20, 2005, TTY (360) 664-6178 or (360) 664-6097.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: The Medical Assistance Administration (MAA) is proposing to amend/add the above listed WAC sections to allow the department to reimburse certain public hospitals through the "full cost" public hospital certified public expenditure (CPE) payment program. MAA is also updating, amending, and repealing other applicable sections in a separate related proposed rule-making notice (see Part 2 of 2). In addition, MAA is adding clarifying language to explain how high cost outliers are paid for state administered program claims.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: See above.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.04.050, 74.08.090.
Statute Being Implemented: RCW 74.04.050, 74.08.090.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Proponent: Department of Social and Health Services, governmental.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Kathy Sayre, P.O. Box 45533, Olympia, WA 98504, (360) 725-1342; Implementation and Enforcement: John Hanson, P.O. Box 45510, Olympia, WA 98504, (360) 725-1856.
No small business economic impact statement has been prepared under chapter 19.85 RCW. The department has analyzed the proposed rule amendment and concludes that it will impose no new costs on small businesses. The preparation of a comprehensive SBEIS is not required.
A cost-benefit analysis is required under RCW 34.05.328. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis may be obtained by contacting John Hanson, P.O. Box 45510, Olympia, WA 98504, phone (360) 725-1856, fax (360) 753-9152, e-mail hansojr@dshs.wa.gov.
April 14, 2005
Andy Fernando, Manager
Rules and Policies Assistance Unit
3546.3 (2) The ((four)) six medical assistance administration
(MAA) hospital peer groups are:
(a) Group A, rural hospitals;
(b) Group B, urban hospitals without medical education programs;
(c) Group C, urban hospitals with medical education
program; ((and))
(d) Group D, specialty hospitals or other hospitals not easily assignable to the other three groups;
(e) Group E, public hospitals participating in the "full cost" public hospital certified public expenditure (CPE) program; and
(f) Group F, critical access hospitals.
(3) MAA uses a cost cap at the seventieth percentile for
((a peer group.
(a) MAA caps at the seventieth percentile the costs of))
hospitals in peer groups B and C ((whose costs exceed the
seventieth percentile for their peer group)). All other peer
groups are exempt from the cost cap.
(((b))) (a) MAA exempts peer group A hospitals from the
cost cap because they are paid under the ratio of
costs-to-charges methodology for Medicaid claims.
(((c))) (b) MAA exempts peer group D hospitals from the
cost cap because they are specialty hospitals without a common
peer group on which to base comparisons.
(c) MAA exempts peer group E hospitals from the cost cap because they are paid under the ratio of costs-to-charges (RCC) methodology for Medicaid and GAU inpatient claims.
(d) MAA exempts peer group F hospitals from the cost cap because they are paid under the departmental weighted costs-to-charges methodology for Medicaid claims.
(4) MAA calculates a peer group's cost cap based on the hospitals' base period costs after subtracting:
(a) Indirect medical education costs, in accordance with WAC 388-550-3250(2), from the aggregate operating and capital costs of each hospital in the peer group; and
(b) The cost of outlier cases from the aggregate costs in accordance with WAC 388-550-3350(1).
(5) MAA uses the lesser of each individual hospital's calculated aggregate cost or the peer group's seventieth percentile cost cap as the base amount in calculating the individual hospital's adjusted cost-based conversion factor. After the peer group cost cap is calculated, MAA adds back to the individual hospital's base amount its indirect medical education costs and appropriate outlier costs, as determined in WAC 388-550-3350(2).
(6) ((In its rate setting process for peer groups A and
B, MAA recognizes changes in peer group status and considers
DOH's approval or recommendation.)) In cases where
corrections or changes in an individual hospital's base-year
cost or peer group assignment occur after peer group cost caps
are calculated, MAA updates the peer group cost caps involved
only if the change in the individual hospital's base-year
costs or peer group assignment will result in a five percent
or greater change in the seventieth percentile of costs
calculated for either its previous peer group category, its
new peer group category, or both.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 42 U.S.C. 1395x(v), 42 C.F.R. 447.271, .11303, and .2652. 01-16-142, § 388-550-3300, filed 7/31/01, effective 8/31/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.730, 74.04.050, 70.01.010, 74.09.200, [74.09.]500, [74.09.]530 and 43.20B.020. 98-01-124, § 388-550-3300, filed 12/18/97, effective 1/18/98.]
(2) Subject to the restrictions and limitations listed in this section, the department exempts the following hospitals and units from the DRG payment method for inpatient services provided to Medicaid-eligible clients:
(a) Peer group A hospitals, as ((defined)) described in
WAC 388-550-3300(2). Exception: Inpatient services provided
to clients eligible under the following programs are
reimbursed through the DRG payment method:
(i) General assistance programs; and
(ii) ((Medically indigent program (MIP); and
(iii))) Other state-only administered programs.
(b) Peer group E hospitals, as described in WAC 388-550-3300(2). See WAC 388-550-4650 for how the department calculates payment to Peer group E hospitals.
(c) Peer group F hospitals (critical access hospitals).
(d) Rehabilitation units when the services are provided in medical assistance administration (MAA)-approved acute physical medicine and rehabilitation (acute PM&R) hospitals and designated distinct rehabilitation units in acute care hospitals.
MAA uses the same criteria as the Medicare program to identify exempt rehabilitation hospitals and designated distinct rehabilitation units. Exception: Inpatient rehabilitation services provided to clients eligible under the following programs are covered and reimbursed through the DRG payment method:
(i) General assistance programs; and
(ii) ((Medically indigent program (MIP); and
(iii))) Other state-only administered programs.
(((c))) (e) Out-of-state hospitals excluding hospitals
located in designated ((border areas)) bordering cities as
described in WAC 388-501-0175. Inpatient services provided in
out-of-state hospitals to clients eligible under the following
programs are not covered or reimbursed by the department:
(i) General assistance programs; and
(ii) ((Medically indigent program (MIP); and
(iii))) Other state-only administered programs.
(((d))) (f) Military hospitals when no other specific
arrangements have been made with the department. Military
hospitals may individually elect or arrange for one of the
following payment methods in lieu of the RCC payment method:
(i) A negotiated per diem rate; or
(ii) DRG.
(((e))) (g) Nonstate-owned specifically identified
psychiatric hospitals and designated hospitals with Medicare
certified distinct psychiatric units. The department uses the
same criteria as the Medicare program to identify exempt
psychiatric hospitals and distinct psychiatric units of
hospitals.
(i) Inpatient psychiatric services provided to clients eligible under the following programs are reimbursed through the DRG payment method:
(A) General assistance programs; and
(B) ((Medically indigent program (MIP); and
(C))) Other state-only administered programs.
(ii) If the department determines that the psychiatric
services provided to a client((s)) eligible under ((the)) a
program((s)) listed in subsection (2)(((e)))(g)(i) of this
section qualify for a special exemption, the services may be
reimbursed by using the ratio of costs-to-charges (RCC)
payment method.
(iii) Regional support networks (RSNs) that arrange to reimburse nonstate-owned psychiatric hospitals and designated distinct psychiatric units of hospitals directly, may use the department's payment methods or contract with the hospitals to reimburse using different methods. Claims not paid directly through an RSN are paid through the department's MMIS payment system.
(3) The department limits inpatient hospital stays that are exempt from the DRG payment method and identified in subsection (2) of this section to the number of days established at the seventy-fifth percentile in the current edition of the publication, "Length of Stay by Diagnosis and Operation, Western Region," unless the stay is:
(a) Approved for a specific number of days by the department, or for psychiatric inpatient stays, by the regional support network (RSN);
(b) For chemical dependency treatment which is subject to WAC 388-550-1100; or
(c) For detoxification of acute alcohol or other drug intoxication.
(4) If subsection (3)(c) of this section applies to an
eligible client((s)), the department will:
(a) Pay for three-day detoxification services for an acute alcoholic condition; or
(b) Pay for five-day detoxification services for acute drug addiction when the services are directly related to detoxification; and
(c) Extend the three- and five-day limitations for up to six additional days if either of the following is invoked on a client under care in a hospital:
(i) Petition for commitment to chemical dependency treatment; or
(ii) Temporary order for chemical dependency treatment.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 42 U.S.C. 1395x(v), 42 C.F.R. 447.271, .11303, and .2652. 01-16-142, § 388-550-4300, filed 7/31/01, effective 8/31/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.730, 74.04.050, 70.01.010, 74.09.200, [74.09.]500, [74.09.]530 and 43.20B.020. 98-01-124, § 388-550-4300, filed 12/18/97, effective 1/18/98.]
(2) The department ((shall)) requires ((medical care))
Medicaid clients in a selective contracting area obtain their
elective (nonemergent) inpatient hospital services from
participating or exempt hospitals in the SCA. Elective
(nonemergent) inpatient hospital services provided by
nonparticipating hospitals in an SCA shall not be reimbursed
by the department, except as provided in WAC 388-550-4700.
(3) The department ((shall)) exempts from the selective
contracting program those hospitals that are:
(a) In an SCA but designated by the department as remote.
The department ((shall)) designates as remote, hospitals
meeting the following criteria:
(i) Located more than ten miles from the nearest hospital in the SCA;
(ii) Having fewer than seventy-five beds; and
(iii) Having fewer than five hundred Medicaid admissions in a two-year period.
(b) Owned by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and providing inpatient services to HMO enrollees only;
(c) Children's hospitals;
(d) State psychiatric hospitals or separate
(freestanding) psychiatric facilities; ((and))
(e) Out-of-state hospitals located in ((nonborder areas))
nonbordering cities, and out-of-state hospitals in ((border
areas)) bordering cities not designated as selective
contracting areas;
(f) Peer group E hospitals; and
(g) Peer group F hospitals (critical access hospitals).
(4)(((a) The department shall)) MAA:
(a) Negotiates with selectively contracted hospitals a negotiated conversion factor (NCF) for inpatient hospital services provided to Medicaid clients.
(b) ((The department shall)) Calculates its maximum
financial obligation for a Medicaid client under the hospital
selective contract in the same manner as DRG payments using
cost-based conversion factors (CBCFs).
(c) ((The department shall apply)) Applies NCFs to
Medicaid clients only. ((The department shall)) (MAA uses
CBCFs in calculating payments for ((MI/))medical care services
clients.)
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.730, 74.04.050, 70.01.010, 74.09.200, [74.09.]500, [74.09.]530 and 43.20B.020. 98-01-124, § 388-550-4600, filed 12/18/97, effective 1/18/98.]
(2) Only the following facilities are reimbursed through the "full cost" public hospital CPE payment program:
(a) Public hospitals located in the state of Washington that are:
(i) Owned by public hospital districts; and
(ii) Not certified by the department of health (DOH) as a critical access hospital;
(b) Harborview Medical Center; and
(c) University of Washington Medical Center.
(3) Payments made under the CPE payment program are limited to inpatient hospital services provided to clients eligible under the Medicaid and general assistance-unemployable (GA-U) fee-for-service programs.
(4) Each hospital described in subsection (2) of this section is responsible to provide certified public expenditures as the required state match for claiming federal Medicaid funds. Certified public expenditures cannot include federal funds or money used to match federal funds.
(5) Payments made by MAA under the CPE payment program equal the hospital's RCC rate times allowable charges times the state's Medicaid federal match percentage.
(6) Client responsibility and third party liability as identified on the hospital claim or by MAA are deducted from the basic payment to determine MAA's actual payment for that admission.
[]
(a) ((Medically indigent (MI) program;
(b))) Who qualifies for the general assistance unemployable (GAU) program; or
(((c) Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Treatment and Support
Act (ADATSA) program; and
(d))) (b) Is involuntarily detained under the Involuntary
Treatment Act (ITA)((-Q program. (The ITA-Q program covers
ITA services for non-Medicaid eligible clients.)))
(2) MAA exempts the following services from the state-administered programs' payment methods and/or reduced rates:
(a) Detoxification services when the services are provided under an MAA-assigned provider number starting with "thirty-six." (MAA reimburses these services using the Title XIX Medicaid RCC payment method.)
(b) Program services provided by MAA-approved critical access hospitals (CAHs) to clients eligible under state-administered programs. (MAA reimburses these services through cost settlement as described in WAC 388-550-2598.)
(c) Program services provided by Peer group E hospitals to clients eligible under the GAU program. (MAA reimburses these services through the "full cost" public hospital certified public expenditure (CPE) program (see WAC 388-550-4650)).
(3) MAA determines:
(a) A state-administered program RCC payment by reducing a hospital's Title XIX Medicaid RCC rate using the hospital's ratable.
(b) A state-administered program DRG payment by reducing a hospital's Title XIX Medicaid DRG cost based conversion factor (CBCF) using the hospital's ratable and equivalency factor (EF).
(4) MAA determines:
(a) The RCC rate for the state-administered programs mathematically as follows:
State-administered programs' RCC rate = current Title XIX Medicaid RCC rate x (one minus the current hospital ratable)
(b) The DRG conversion factor (CF) for the state-administered programs mathematically as follows:
State-administered programs' DRG CF = current Title XIX Medicaid DRG CBCF x (one minus the current hospital ratable) x EF
(5) MAA determines payments to hospitals for covered services provided to clients eligible under the state-administered programs mathematically as follows:
(a) Under the RCC payment method:
State-administered programs' RCC payment = state-administered programs' RCC Rate x allowed charges
(b) Under the DRG payment method:
State-administered programs' DRG payment
= state-administered programs' DRG CF x all patient DRG
relative weight (((to include any necessary high-cost outlier
payment))) (See subsection (6) of this section for how MAA
determines payment for state-administered program claims that
qualify as DRG high-cost outliers.)
(6) For state-administered program claims that qualify as DRG high-cost outliers, MAA determines:
(a) In-state children's hospital payments for state-administered program claims that qualify as DRG high-cost outliers mathematically as follows:
Eighty-five percent of the allowed charges above the outlier threshold x the specific hospital's RCC rate x (one minus the current hospital ratable) plus the DRG allowed amount
(b) Psychiatric DRG high-cost outlier payments for DRGs 424 through 432 mathematically as follows:
One hundred percent of the allowed charges above the outlier threshold x the specific hospital's RCC rate x (one minus the current hospital ratable) plus the applicable DRG allowed amount
(c) Payments for all other claims that qualify as DRG high-cost outliers as follows:
Sixty percent x the specific hospital's RCC rate x (one minus the current hospital ratable) plus the applicable DRG allowed amount
| High-cost Outlier Calculations for Qualifying Claims State-administered Programs (for admission dates January 1, 2001 and after) |
||||||||||||||
| In-state Children's Hospitals Allowed charges | (-) | > of $33000 or 3 x DRG | (=) | Charges > threshold |
(x) | RCC | (x) | 1 (-) Ratable | (x) | 85% | (=) | Outlier Add-on Amount | (+) | *DRG Allowed Amount |
| Psychiatric DRGs 424-432 Allowed charges |
(-) | > of $33000 or 3 x DRG | (=) | Charges > threshold |
(x) | RCC | (x) | 1 (-) Ratable | (x) | 100% | (=) | Outlier Add-on Amount | (+) | * DRG Allowed Amount |
| All other qualifying claims Allowed charges | (-) | > of $33000 or 3 x DRG | (=) | Charges > threshold |
(x) | RCC | (x) | 1 (-) Ratable | (x) | 60% | (=) | Outlier Add-on Amount | (+) | * DRG Allowed Amount |
| *Basic DRG allowed amount calculation: DRG relative weight x conversion factor = DRG allowed amount | ||||||||||||||
(7) See WAC 388-550-3700(5) for how claims qualify as low-cost outliers.
(8) MAA determines payments for claims that qualify as DRG low-cost outliers mathematically as follows:
Allowed charges for the claim x the specific hospital's RCC rate x (one minus the current hospital ratable)
(9) To calculate a hospital's ratable that is applied to both the Title XIX Medicaid RCC rate and the Title XIX Medicaid DRG CBCF used to determine the respective state-administered program's reduced rates, MAA:
(a) Adds the hospital's Medicaid revenue (Medicaid revenue as reported by department of health (DOH) includes all Medicaid revenue and all other medical assistance revenue) and Medicare revenue to the value of the hospital's charity care and bad debts, all of which is taken from the most recent complete calendar year data available from DOH at the time of the ratable calculation; then
(b) Deducts the hospital's low-income disproportionate share hospital (LIDSH) revenue from the amount derived in (a) of this subsection to arrive at the hospital's community care dollars; then
(c) Subtracts the hospital-based physicians revenue that is reported in the hospital's most recent HCFA-2552 Medicare cost report received by MAA at the time of the ratable calculation, from the total hospital revenue reported by DOH from the same source as discussed in (a) of this subsection, to arrive at the net hospital revenue; then
(d) Divides the amount derived in (b) of this subsection by the amount derived in (c) of this subsection to obtain the ratio of community care dollars to net hospital revenue (also called the preliminary ratable factor); then
(e) Subtracts the amount derived in (d) of this subsection from 1.0 to obtain the hospital's preliminary ratable; then
(f) Determines a neutrality factor by:
(i) Multiplying hospital-specific Medicaid revenue that is reported by DOH from the same source as discussed in (a) of this subsection by the preliminary ratable factor; then
(ii) Multiplying that same hospital-specific Medicaid revenue by the prior year's final ratable factor; then
(iii) Summing all hospital Medicaid revenue from the hospital-specific calculations that used the preliminary ratable factor discussed in (f)(i) of this subsection; then
(iv) Summing all hospital revenue from the hospital-specific calculations that used the prior year's final ratable factor discussed in (f)(ii) of this subsection; then
(v) Comparing the two totals; and
(vi) Setting the neutrality factor at 1.0 if the total using the preliminary ratable factor is less than the total using the prior year's final ratable factor; or
(vii) Establishing a neutrality factor that is less than 1.0 that will reduce the total using the preliminary ratable factor to the level of the total using the prior year's final ratable factor, if the total using the preliminary ratable factor is greater than the total using the prior year's ratable factor; then
(g) Multiplies, for each specific hospital, the preliminary ratable by the neutrality factor to establish hospital-specific final ratables for the year; then
(h) Subtracts each hospital-specific final ratable from 1.0 to determine hospital-specific final ratable factors for the year; then
(i) Calculates an instate-average ratable and an instate-average ratable factor used for new hospitals with no prior year history.
(((7))) (10) MAA updates each hospital's ratable annually
on August 1.
(((8))) (11) MAA:
(a) Uses the equivalency factor (EF) to hold the hospital specific state-administered programs' DRG CF at the same level prior to rebasing, adjusted for inflation; and
(b) Calculates a hospital's EF as follows:
EF = State-administered programs' prior DRG CF divided by current Title XIX Medicaid DRG CBCF x (one minus the prior ratable)
(((9) Effective December 1, 1991, for hospital admissions
of clients eligible under the state-administered MI program,
MAA:
(a) Further reduces RCC and DRG payments to a hospital for covered services provided to clients eligible under the MI program by multiplying the respective payment referred to in subsection (5) of this section by ninety-seven percent; and
(b) Applies this payment reduction to the medically indigent disproportionate share hospital (MIDSH) payment methodology in accordance with section 3(b) of the "Medicaid Voluntary Contributions and Provider-Specific Tax Amendment of 1991."))
[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 74.09.500. 04-19-113, § 388-550-4800, filed 9/21/04, effective 10/22/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.500, 74.09.035(1), and 43.88.290. 02-21-019, § 388-550-4800, filed 10/8/02, effective 11/8/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090 and 42 U.S.C. 1395x(v), 42 C.F.R. 447.271, .11303, and .2652. 01-16-142, § 388-550-4800, filed 7/31/01, effective 8/31/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.09.080, 74.09.730, 42 U.S.C. 1395x(v) and 1396r-4, 42 C.F.R. 447.271 and 2652. 99-14-026, § 388-550-4800, filed 6/28/99, effective 7/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 42 USC 1395 x(v), 42 CFR 447.271, 447.11303, and 447.2652. 99-06-046, § 388-550-4800, filed 2/26/99, effective 3/29/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.730, 74.04.050, 70.01.010, 74.09.200, [74.09.]500, [74.09.]530 and 43.20B.020. 98-01-124, § 388-550-4800, filed 12/18/97, effective 1/18/98.]