RULE NO: RULE TITLE
59G-6.010: Payment Methodology for Nursing Home Services
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: To incorporate changes to the Florida Title XIX Long-Term Care Reimbursement Plan payment methodology, effective July 1, 2008. The proposed rule is in accordance with House Bill 5001, 2008-09 General Appropriations Act, Specific Appropriation 236 and House Bill 5085, Section 5 which amended Section 408.908(23), Florida Statutes.
SUBJECT AREA TO BE ADDRESSED: 1. The Agency shall implement a recurring methodology in the Title XIX Nursing Home Reimbursement Plan to reduce nursing home rates to achieve a $163,664,945 reduction. In establishing rates through the normal process, prior to including this reduction, if the unit cost is equal to or less than the unit cost used in establishing the budget, then no additional reduction in rates is necessary. In establishing rates through the normal process, prior to including this reduction, if the unit cost is greater than the unit cost used in establishing the budget, then rates shall be reduced by an amount required to achieve this reduction, but shall not be reduced below the unit cost used in establishing the budget.
2. The Agency shall establish rates at a level that ensures no increase in statewide expenditures resulting from a change in unit costs for two fiscal years effective July 1, 2009. Reimbursement rates for the two fiscal years shall be as provided in the General Appropriations Act.
3. Removal of obsolete plan language as requested by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
4. Clarification of interim rate issues.
SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 409.909 FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 409.908 FS.
IF REQUESTED IN WRITING AND NOT DEEMED UNNECESSARY BY THE AGENCY HEAD, A RULE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:
TIME AND DATE: July 24, 2008, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Agency for Health Care Administration, 2727 Mahan Drive, Building 3, Conference Room D, Tallahassee, FL 32301
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT AND A COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT, IF AVAILABLE, IS: Edwin Stephens, Medicaid Cost Reimbursement, Agency for Health Care Administration, 2727 Mahan Drive, Building 3, Tallahassee, Florida 32308, (850)414-2759 or by e-mail at stephene@ahca.myflorida.com

THE PRELIMINARY TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT IS NOT AVAILABLE.