42 CFR § 403.304 - Minimum requirements for State systems—discretionary approval.

(a) Discretionary approval by CMS. CMS may approve Medicare payments under a State system, if CMS determines that the system meets the requirements in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section and, if applicable paragraph (d) of this section.

(b) Requirements for State system.

(1) An application for approval of the system must be submitted to CMS by the Chief Executive Officer of the State.

(2) The State system must apply to substantially all non-Federal acute care hospitals in the State.

(3) All hospitals covered by the system must have and maintain a utilization and quality control review agreement with a Quality Improvement Organization, as required under section 1866(a)(1)(F) of the Act and § 466.78(a) of this chapter.

(4) Federal hospitals must be excluded from the State system.

(5) Nonacute care or specialty hospital (such as rehabilitation, psychiatric, or children's hospitals) may, at the option of the State, be excluded from the State system.

(6) The State system must apply to at least 75 percent of all revenues or expenses—

(i) For inpatient hospital services in the State; and

(ii) For inpatient hospital services under the State's Medicaid plan.

(7) Under the system, HMOs and competitive medical plans (CMPs), as defined by section 1876(b) of the Act and part 417 of this chapter, must be allowed to negotiate payment rates with hospitals.

(8) The system must limit hospital charges for Medicare beneficiaries to deductibles, coinsurance or non-covered services.

(9) Unless a waiver is granted by CMS under § 489.23 of this chapter, the system must prohibit payment, as required under section 1862(a)(14) of the Act and § 405.310(m) of this chapter, for nonphysician services provided to hospital inpatients under Part B of Medicare.

(10) The system must require hospitals to submit Medicare cost reports or approved reports in lieu of Medicare cost reports as required.

(11) The system must require—

(i) Preparation, collection, or retention by the State of reports (such as financial, administrative, or statistical reports) that may be necessary, as determined by CMS, to review and monitor the State's assurances; and

(ii) Submission of the reports to CMS upon request.

(12) The system must provide hospitals an opportunity to appeal errors that they believe have been made in the determination of their payment rates. The system, if it is prospective may not permit providers to file administrative appeals that would result in a retroactive revision of prospectively determined payment rates.

(c) Satisfactory assurances. The State must provide to CMS satisfactory assurance as to the following:

(1) The system provides for equitable treatment of hospital patients and hospital employees.

(2) The system provides for equitable treatment of all entities that pay hospitals for inpatient hospital services, including Federal and State programs. Under the requirement, the following conditions must be met:

(i) Both the Medicare and Medicaid programs must participate under the system.

(ii) The State must assure equitable and uniform treatment under the system of third-party payors of inpatient hospital services in terms of opportunity. Equitable opportunity must include, but need not be limited to, participation in the system and availability of discounts. Criteria under which discounts are made available must be equitably and uniformly applied to all payors, except for discounts negotiated by HMOs and CMPs. Discounts available to HMOs and CMPs as result of their statutory right to negotiate payment rates independently of a State system, as described in paragraph (b)(7) of this section, need not be available to other payors.

(iii) The State must assure that all third-party payors that participate under the system share in the system's risks and benefits.

(3) The amount of Medicare payments made under the system over 36-month periods may not exceed the amount of Medicare payment that would otherwise have been made under the Medicare principles of reimbursement for Medicare items and services had the State system not been in effect. States must submit the assurance and supporting data as required by § 403.320 to document that the payment limit is not exceeded. States that have an existing Medicare demonstration project in effect on April 20, 1983, and that have requested approval of a State system under section 1886(c)(4) of the Act, may elect to have the effectiveness of the State system under this paragraph judged on the basis of the State system's rate of increase or inflation in Medicare inpatient hospital payments as compared to the national rate of increase or inflation for such payments during the three cost reporting periods of the hospitals in the State beginning on or after October 1, 1983.

(d) Additional cost-effectiveness assurance. If the assurances and supporting data required under paragraph (c)(3) of this section are insufficient to provide assurance satisfactory to CMS regarding the cost-effectiveness of a State system, the State may additionally submit one of the following assurances in order to meet the cost-effectiveness test:

(1) State responsibility for excess payments. The State must agree that each month Medicare intermediaries will disburse to the State's hospital Federal funds that in the aggregate equal no more than would have been disbursed in the absence of the State system. Any additional funds necessary to pay hospitals for Medicare services required by the State system will be paid to the intermediaries by the State. These additional amounts will be refunded to the State by the intermediaries to the extent that, in subsequent months, the State system requires a smaller aggregate payment for Medicare services than would have been paid in the absence of the State system.

(2) Limitations on payments.

(i) The State must agree that if its projections exceed what Medicare would pay in any particular period, the State and CMS will establish and agreed upon payment schedule that will limit payments under the State system based on a predetermined percentage relationship between projected State payments and what payments would have been under Medicare.

(ii) If deviation from the predetermined relationship described in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section occurs, the State must further agree that—

(A) Medicare payments would be capped automatically at payment levels based on the rates used for the Medicare prospective payment system and the State would be required to pay the difference to individual hospitals in its system; or

(B) The State may provide by legislation or legally binding regulations that any reduced payments to hospitals under the system that result from this cost-effectiveness assurance will constitute full and final payment for hospital services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries for the period covered by these reduced payments.