(1) General Reimbursement Principles.
(A) In order to receive federal financial
participation (FFP), disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments are made in
compliance with federal statutes and regulations. Section 1923 of the Social
Security Act (
42 U.S. Code) describes the hospitals that must be paid DSH
payments and those that the state may elect to pay DSH payments.
(B) Federally-Deemed DSH Hospitals. The state
must pay disproportionate share payments to hospitals that meet the specific
obstetric requirements set forth below in paragraph (1)(B)1. and have either a
Medicaid Inpatient Utilization Rate (MIUR) at least one (1) standard deviation
above the state mean or a Low Income Utilization Rate (LIUR) greater than
twenty-five percent (25%). The state shall not make DSH payments in excess of
each hospital's estimated hospital specific DSH limit.
1. Obstetrics requirements and exemptions.
A. Hospitals must have two (2) obstetricians,
with staff privileges, who agree to provide non-emergency obstetric services to
Medicaid eligibles. Rural hospitals, as defined by the federal Executive Office
of Management and Budget, may qualify any physician with staff privileges as an
obstetrician.
B. Hospitals are
exempt from the obstetric requirements if the facility did not offer
non-emergency obstetric services as of December 22, 1987.
C. Hospitals are exempt if inpatients are
predominantly under eighteen (18) years of age.
(C) State-Elected DSH Payments. The state may
elect to make disproportionate share payments to hospitals that meet the
obstetric requirements set forth in paragraph (1)(B)1. and have a MIUR of at
least one percent (1%).
(D) Section
1923(g) of the Social Security Act (Act) limits the amount of DSH payments
states can pay to each hospital and earn FFP. To be in compliance with the Act,
DSH payments shall not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the uncompensated
care costs of providing hospital services to Medicaid and uninsured
individuals. Hospital-specific DSH limit calculations must comply with the
federal DSH rules (42 CFR
447, Subpart E and
42 CFR
455, Subpart D). If the disproportionate
share payments exceed the hospital-specific DSH limit, the difference shall be
deducted from disproportionate share payments or recouped from future
payments.
(E) All DSH payments in
the aggregate shall not exceed the federal DSH allotment within a state fiscal
period. The DSH allotment is the maximum amount of DSH payments a state can
distribute each year and receive FFP.
(F) The state must submit an annual
independent audit of the state's DSH program to the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS). FFP is not available for DSH payments that are found
to exceed the hospital-specific eligible uncompensated care cost limit. All
hospitals that receive DSH payments are subject to the independent federal DSH
audit.
(G) Hospitals qualify for
DSH for a period of one (1) state fiscal year and must requalify at the
beginning of each state fiscal year to continue to receive disproportionate
share payments.
(2)
Definitions.
(A) Annual independent DSH
audit. The annual independent DSH audit is the annual independent certified
audit of the state DSH payments as required by the federal DSH audit rule
42 CFR
455.301 through
42 CFR
455.304. The annual independent DSH audit
also includes the reporting requirements of
42 CFR
447.299. The annual independent DSH audit may
also be referred to as the federally-mandated annual independent DSH audit or
independent federal DSH audit.
(B)
Division. Unless otherwise specified, division refers to the MO HealthNet
Division, the division of the Department of Social Services charged with the
administration of Missouri's MO HealthNet Program.
(C) Estimated Medicaid net cost. Estimated
Medicaid net cost is defined per the annual state DSH survey, as defined in
subsection (2)(X), and related training documents and instructions provided to
the hospitals by the Division or its authorized contractor. The estimated
Medicaid net cost is determined by using Medicare cost reporting methodologies
described in this rule and is calculated using data reported on the state DSH
survey.
1. The estimated Medicaid net cost
is determined from the state DSH survey, as defined in subsection (2)(X), and
is calculated as follows:
A. Total Cost of
Care for Medicaid IP/OP Services;
B. Less Regular IP/OP Medicaid FFS Rate
Payments (excluding any other Medicaid payments as defined in subsection
(2)(T));
C. Less IP/OP Medicaid MCO
Payments;
D. Equals the Estimated
Medicaid Net Cost; and
E. The
Estimated Medicaid Net Cost shall be trended as set forth in subsection
(2)(Z).
(D)
Estimated uninsured net cost. Estimated uninsured net cost is the cost of
providing inpatient and outpatient hospital services to individuals without
health insurance or other third party coverage for the hospital services they
receive during the year less uninsured payments received on a cash basis for
the applicable Medicaid state plan year. The costs are to be calculated using
Medicare cost report costing methodologies described in this rule and should
not include costs for services that were denied for reasons other than the
patient's benefits were exhausted at the time of admittance, or the patient's
benefit package did not cover the inpatient or outpatient hospital service(s)
received.
1. The estimated uninsured net cost
is determined from the state DSH survey and is calculated as follows:
A. Total IP/OP Uninsured Cost of
Care;
B. Less Total IP/OP Indigent
Care/Self-Pay Revenues;
C. Equals
the Estimated Uninsured Net Cost.
(E) Estimated uninsured uncompensated care
cost (UCC).
1. The estimated uninsured
uncompensated care cost is determined from the state DSH survey and is
calculated as follows:
A. Estimated Uninsured
Net Cost, as defined in subsection (2)(D);
B. Less Total Applicable Section 1011
Payments;
C. Equals the Estimated
Uninsured Uncompensated Care Cost; and
D. The Estimated Uninsured Uncompensated Care
Cost shall be trended as set forth in subsection (2)(Z).
(F) Federal DSH allotment. The
maximum amount of DSH a state can distribute each year and receive federal
financial participation (FFP) in the payments in accordance with
42 CFR
447.297 and
42 CFR
447.298.
(G) Hospital DSH liability. The hospital DSH
liability is the amount of DSH overpayments subject to recoupment as determined
from the final annual independent DSH audit. It is the lesser of the total
longfall or the DSH payments paid for the SFY.
(H) Hospital-specific DSH limit. The
hospital-specific DSH limit is the sum of the Medicaid uncompensated care cost
plus the uninsured uncompensated care cost and is calculated each year. The
source for this calculation is as follows:
1.
Actual hospital-specific DSH limit. The actual hospital-specific DSH limit is
determined from the final annual independent DSH audit; and
2. Estimated hospital-specific DSH limit. The
estimated hospital-specific DSH limit is calculated by the state using data
from the state DSH survey, other Medicaid payments, and data provided in the
most recent independent DSH audit, if applicable, which is used in determining
the interim DSH payments.
(I) Incorporation by Reference. This rule
incorporates by reference the following:
3. The
state DSH survey template and instructions are incorporated by reference and
made a part of this rule as published by the Department of Social Services, MO
HealthNet Division, 615 Howerton Court, Jefferson City, MO 65109, at its
website at
https://dss.mo.gov/mhd/providers/fee-for-service-providers.htm,
June 16, 2022. This rule does not incorporate any subsequent amendments or
additions; and
4. This alternate
state DSH survey supplemental template and instructions are incorporated by
reference and made a part of this rule as published by the Department of Social
Services, MO HealthNet Division, 615 Howerton Court, Jefferson City, MO 65109,
at its website at
https://dss.mo.gov/mhd/providers/fee-for-service-providers.htm,
June 16, 2022. This rule does not incorporate any subsequent amendments or
additions.
(J)
Individuals Without Health Insurance or Other Third Party Coverage for the
Services Received.
1. Individuals who have no
health insurance or other source of third party coverage for the specific
inpatient or outpatient hospital services they received during the year are
considered uninsured. As set forth in CMS' final rule published in the Federal
Register, December 3, 2014, for
42 CFR
447.295, a service-specific approach must be
used to determine whether an individual is uninsured. The service-specific
coverage determination can occur only once per individual per service provided
and applies to the entire service, including all elements as that service, or
similar services, would be defined by MO HealthNet. Determination of an
individual's third party coverage status is not dependent on receipt of payment
by the hospital from the third party.
2. The costs for inpatient and outpatient
hospital services provided to individuals without health insurance or other
third party coverage for the inpatient or outpatient hospital services they
received during the year are considered uninsured and included in calculating
the hospital-specific DSH limit.
3.
The following costs shall be considered uninsured and included in the
calculating the hospital-specific DSH limit:
A. Costs for services provided to individuals
whose benefit package does not cover the hospital service received. If the
service is not included in an individual's health benefits coverage through a
group health plan or health insurer, and there is no other legally liable third
party, the hospital services are considered uninsured costs; and
B. Costs for services provided to individuals
who have reached lifetime insurance limits for certain services or with
exhausted insurance benefits at the time of service. When a lifetime or annual
coverage limit is imposed by a third party payer, specific services beyond the
limit would not be within the individual's health benefit package from that
third party payer and would be considered uninsured costs, as long as the
benefits were exhausted when the patient was admitted; and
C. For American Indians/Alaska Natives,
Indian Health Services (IHS) and tribal coverage is only considered third party
coverage when services are received directly from IHS or tribal health programs
or when IHS or a tribal health program has authorized coverage through the
contract health service program.
4. The costs associated with the following
shall not be included as uninsured costs:
A.
Bad debts or unpaid coinsurance/deductibles for individuals with third party
coverage. Administrative denials of payment or requirements for satisfaction of
deductible, copayment, or coinsurance liability do not affect the determination
that a specific service is included in the health benefits coverage;
and
B. Unpaid balances due for
claims denied by the third party payer for billing discrepancies, which
include, but are not limited to, denials due to lack of pre-authorization,
denials due to timely filing, denials due to lack of medical necessity, etc.;
and
C. Prisoners. Individuals who
are inmates in a public institution or are otherwise involuntarily in secure
custody as a result of criminal charges are considered to have a source of
third party coverage. However, an individual can be included as uninsured if a
person has been released from secure custody and is referred to the hospital by
law enforcement or corrections authorities and is admitted as a patient rather
than an inmate to the hospital.
5. These definitions, and the resulting
uninsured costs includable in calculating the hospital-specific DSH limit, are
subject to change based on any federal DSH audit regulation changes. The
Division reserves the right to determine whether changes in federal DSH audit
regulation will be applied to the interim DSH payment calculations.
(K) Institution for Mental
Diseases (IMD) DSH allotment. The IMD DSH allotment is a portion of the
state-wide DSH allotment and is the maximum amount set by the federal
government that may be paid to IMD hospitals. Any unused IMD DSH allotment not
paid to IMD hospitals for any plan year may be paid to hospitals that are under
their projected hospital-specific DSH limit.
(L) Inpatient and outpatient hospital services. For
purposes of determining the estimated hospital-specific DSH limit and the
actual hospital-specific DSH limit, the inpatient and outpatient hospital
services are limited to inpatient and outpatient hospital services included in
the approved Missouri Medicaid State Plan.
(M) Lifetime or annual health insurance coverage
limit. An annual or lifetime limit, imposed by a third party payer, that
establishes a maximum dollar value, or maximum number of specific services on a
lifetime or annual basis, for benefits received by an individual.
(N) Longfall. The longfall is the total
amount a hospital has been paid for inpatient and outpatient hospital services
(including all DSH payments) in excess of their hospital-specific DSH limit.
The source for this calculation is as follows:
1. Actual longfall. The actual longfall is
based on the annual independent DSH audit; and
2. Estimated longfall. The estimated longfall
is calculated by the state using data from the state DSH survey, other Medicaid
payments, and data provided in the most recent independent DSH audit, if
applicable.
(O) Low
Income Utilization Rate (LIUR). The LIUR shall be calculated as follows:
1. As determined from the third prior year
audited Medicaid cost report, the LIUR shall be the sum (expressed as a
percentage) of the fractions, calculated as follows:
A. Total MO HealthNet patient revenues (TMPR)
paid to the hospital for patient services under a state plan plus the amount of
the cash subsidies (CS) directly received from state and local governments,
divided by the total net revenues (TNR) (charges, minus contractual allowances,
discounts, and the like) for patient services plus the CS; and
B. The total amount of the hospital's charges
for patient services attributable to charity care (CC) less CS directly
received from state and local governments in the same period, divided by the
total amount of the hospital's charges (THC) for patient services. The total
patient charges attributed to CC shall not include any contractual allowances
and discounts other than for indigent patients not eligible for MO HealthNet
under a state plan.
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(P) Medicaid Inpatient Utilization Rate (MIUR). The
MIUR shall be calculated as follows:
1. As
determined from the third prior year audited Medicaid cost report, the MIUR
will be expressed as the ratio of total Medicaid eligible hospital days (TMD)
provided under a state plan divided by the provider's total number of inpatient
hospital days (TNID); and
2. The
state's mean MIUR will be expressed as the ratio of the sum of the total number
of the Medicaid days for all Missouri hospitals divided by the sum of the total
patient days for the same Missouri hospitals. Data for hospitals no longer
participating in the program will be excluded.
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(Q) Medicaid state plan year. Medicaid state plan year
coincides with the twelve- (12-) month period for which a state calculates DSH
payments. For Missouri, the Medicaid state plan year coincides with its state
fiscal year (SFY) and is July 1 through June 30.
(R) Medicare cost reporting methodologies. Medicaid
and uninsured costs will be determined utilizing Medicare Cost Report (form CMS
2552) methodologies. The Medicaid Cost Report is completed using the Medicare
Cost Report form CMS 2552 using the Medicare cost reporting methodologies.
Based on these methodologies, the costs included in the DSH payment calculation
will reflect the Medicaid and uninsured portion of total allowable hospital
costs from the Medicare Cost Report or the Medicaid Cost Report, as applicable.
Costs such as the Missouri Medicaid hospital provider tax FRA are recognized as
allowable costs for Medicaid and DSH program purposes and apportioned to
Medicaid, uninsured, Medicare, and other payers following the cost finding
principles included in the cost report, applicable instructions, regulations,
and governing statutes.
(S) New
facility. A new hospital determined in accordance with
13 CSR
70-15.010 without a base year cost report.
(T) Other Medicaid payments. For purposes of
determining estimated hospital-specific DSH limits, the other Medicaid payments
include any non-claim specific Medicaid payment made to a hospital for
inpatient or outpatient hospital services, including, but are not limited to:
Direct Medicaid, Acuity Adjustment Payment, Poison Control Payment, Stop Loss
Payment, Graduate Medical Education (GME), Children's Outliers, cost
settlements, and Upper payment limit (UPL) payments, if applicable, will be
included for purposes of determining the hospital-specific DSH limit in the
annual independent DSH audit. Any other payments made with state only funds are
not required to be offset in determining the hospital-specific DSH
limit.
(U) Out-of-state DSH
payments. DSH payments received by a Missouri hospital from a state other than
Missouri.
(V) Section 1011
payments. Section 1011 payments are made to a hospital for costs incurred for
the provision of specific services to specific aliens to the extent that the
provider was not otherwise reimbursed for such services. Because a portion of
the Section 1011 payments are made for uncompensated care costs that are also
eligible under the hospital-specific DSH limit, a defined portion of the
Section 1011 payments must be recognized as an amount paid on behalf of those
uninsured.
(W) Shortfall. The
shortfall is the hospital-specific DSH limit in excess of the total amount a
hospital has been paid for inpatient and outpatient hospital services
(including all DSH payments). The source for this calculation is as follows:
1. Actual shortfall. The actual shortfall is
based on the annual independent DSH audit; and
2. Estimated shortfall. The estimated
shortfall is calculated by the state using data from the state DSH survey, and
other Medicaid payments.
(X) State DSH survey. The state DSH survey was
designed to reflect the standards of calculating uncompensated care cost
established by the federal DSH rules in determining hospital-specific DSH
limits. The DSH survey is also similar to, or the same as, the DSH survey that
is utilized by the independent auditor during the annual independent DSH audit
performed in accordance with the federally-mandated DSH audit rules. The blank
state DSH survey is referred to as the state DSH survey template.
1. Beginning with SFY 2017, the state DSH
survey shall be the most recent DSH survey collected during the independent DSH
audit of the fourth prior SFY (i.e., the most recent survey collected by the
independent DSH auditor for the SFY 2019 independent DSH audit will also be
used to calculate the interim DSH payment for SFY 2023). The survey shall be
referred to as the SFY to which payments will relate.
(Y) Taxable revenue. Taxable revenue is the
hospital's total inpatient adjusted net revenues plus outpatient adjusted net
revenues determined in accordance with
13 CSR
70-15.110, paragraph (1)(A)13.
(Z) Trends. A trend of one and a half percent (1.5%)
will be applied to the hospital's Estimated Medicaid Net Cost and the Estimated
Uninsured Uncompensated Care Cost (UCC) from the year subsequent to the state
DSH survey period to the current SFY (i.e., the SFY for which the interim DSH
payment is being determined). The first year's trend shall be adjusted to bring
the facility's cost to a common fiscal year end of June 30 and the full trends
shall be applied for the remaining years. The trends shall be compounded each
year to determine the total cumulative trend.
(AA) Uncompensated care costs (UCC).
(BB) Uninsured revenues. Payments received
on a cash basis that are required per
42 CFR
455.301 through
42 CFR
455.304 and
42 CFR
447.299 to be offset against the uninsured
cost to determine the uninsured net cost include any amounts received by the
hospital, by or on behalf of, either self-pay or uninsured individuals during
the SFY under audit.
(3) Interim DSH Payments.
(A) Beginning with SFY 2013, interim DSH
payments shall be calculated on an annual basis and will be based on the
state's calculations using data provided in the state DSH survey for the
applicable SFY, and estimated other Medicaid payments calculated by the
Division in accordance with
13 CSR
70-15.010,
13 CSR
70-15.015, and
13 CSR
70-15.230 for the applicable SFY.
(B) The interim DSH payments will be
calculated as follows:
1. The estimated
hospital-specific DSH limit is calculated as follows:
A. Estimated Medicaid net cost from the state
DSH survey calculated in accordance with subsection (2)(C);
C. Equals estimated Medicaid uncompensated
care cost;
D. Plus estimated
uninsured uncompensated care cost from the state DSH survey calculated in
accordance with subsection (2)(E);
E. Equals estimated hospital-specific DSH
limit;
2. The estimated
uncompensated care costs potentially eligible for MHD interim DSH payments
excludes out-of-state DSH payments and is calculated as follows:
A. Estimated hospital-specific DSH
limit;
B. Less estimated
out-of-state (OOS) DSH payments;
C.
Equals estimated uncompensated care cost (UCC) net of OOS DSH
payments;
3. Hospitals
determined to have a negative estimated UCC net of OOS DSH payments (payments
exceed costs) will not receive interim DSH payments because their estimated
payments for the SFY are expected to exceed their estimated hospital-specific
DSH limit; and
4. Qualified DSH
hospitals determined to have a positive estimated UCC net of OOS DSH payments
(costs exceed payments) will receive interim DSH payments. The interim DSH
payments are subject to the federal DSH allotment, the availability of state
funds, and the estimated hospital-specific DSH limits less estimated OOS DSH
payments. The interim DSH payments will be calculated as follows:
A. Interim DSH payments to qualified DSH
hospitals determined to have a positive estimated UCC net of OOS DSH payments
will be calculated as follows:
(I) Up to
one-hundred percent (100%) of the available federal DSH allotment will be
allocated to each hospital with a positive estimated UCC net of OOS DSH
payments, and the allocation shall result in each hospital receiving the same
percentage of their estimated UCC net of OOS DSH payments. The allocation
percentage will be calculated at the beginning of the SFY by dividing the
available federal DSH allotment to be distributed by the total hospital
industry's positive estimated UCC net of OOS DSH payments; and
(II) The allocated amount will then be
reduced by one percent (1%) for hospitals that do not contribute through a plan
that is approved by the director of the Department of Health and Senior
Services to support the state's poison control center and the Primary Care
Resource Initiative for Missouri (PRIMO) and Patient Safety
Initiative.
(C) Hospitals may elect not to receive an
interim DSH payment for a SFY by completing a DSH Waiver form. This includes
federally deemed hospitals that do not have uncompensated care cost to justify
the receipt of an interim DSH payment. Hospitals that elect not to receive an
interim DSH payment for a SFY must notify the division, or its authorized
agent, that it elects not to receive an interim DSH payment for the upcoming
SFY. If a hospital does not receive an interim DSH payment for a SFY, it will
not be included in the independent DSH audit related to that SFY and will not
be eligible for final DSH audit payment adjustments related to that SFY unless
it submits a request to the division to be included in the independent DSH
audit. If the request is approved by the Division, the hospital must submit all
necessary data elements to the independent DSH auditor in order to be included
in the audit and eligible for final DSH payment adjustments.
(D) Hospitals, including federally deemed
hospitals, may elect to receive an upper payment limit payment as defined in 13
CSR 7015.230 in lieu of DSH payments. Hospitals that elect to receive an upper
payment limit payment rather than a DSH payment must submit a request to the MO
HealthNet Division on an annual basis. If a hospital does not receive an
interim DSH payment for a SFY, it will not be included in the independent DSH
audit related to that SFY, and will not be eligible for final DSH audit payment
adjustments related to that SFY unless it submits a request to the division to
be included in the independent DSH audit. If the request is approved by the
Division, the hospital must submit all necessary data elements to the
independent DSH auditor in order to be included in the audit and eligible for
final DSH payment adjustments.
(E)
Disproportionate share payments will coincide with the semimonthly claim
payment schedule.
(F) New
facilities that do not have a Medicare/Medicaid cost report on which to base
the state DSH survey will be paid the lesser of the estimated hospital-specific
DSH limit less OOS DSH payments based on the estimated state DSH survey or the
industry average estimated interim DSH payment. The industry average estimated
interim DSH payment is calculated as follows:
1. Hospitals receiving interim DSH payments,
as determined from subsection (3)(B), shall be divided into quartiles based on
total beds;
2. DSH payments shall
be individually summed by quartile and then divided by the total beds in the
quartile to yield an average interim DSH payment per bed; and
3. The number of beds for the new facility
shall be multiplied by the average interim DSH payment per bed.
(G) Interim DSH Payments for
Hospital Mergers.
1. Hospitals that merge
prior to the beginning of the SFY. Hospitals that merge their operations under
one (1) Medicare and MO HealthNet provider number shall have their interim DSH
payment determined based on adding each hospital's state DSH survey to yield a
combined state DSH survey and applying the same calculations in subsection
(3)(B).
2. Hospitals that merge
after the beginning of the SFY. The interim DSH payments that have been
determined separately for the hospitals will be added together and paid to the
surviving hospital effective with the approval date of the merger.
(H) Interim DSH Payment
Adjustments.
1. To minimize hospital
longfalls, Interim DSH payments made to hospitals will be revised if changes to
federally mandated DSH audit standards are enacted during a SFY, updated for
Medicaid expansion until it is captured in the required state DSH survey, or
any changes in Medicaid reimbursement until it is captured in the required
state DSH survey. These revisions are to serve as interim adjustments until the
federally mandated DSH audits are complete. DSH audits are finalized three (3)
years following the SFY year-end reflected in the audit. For example, the SFY
2019 DSH audit will be finalized in Calendar Year (CY) 2022.