Virginia Law

Subpart XVII
Specialized Care Services

Specialized care services provided in conformance with 12VAC30-60-40 E and H, 12VAC30-60-320, and 12VAC30-60-340 shall be reimbursed under the following methodology. The nursing facilities that provide adult specialized care for the categories of Ventilator Dependent Care, will be placed in one group for rate determination. The nursing facilities that provide pediatric specialized care in a dedicated pediatric unit of eight beds or more will be placed in a second group for rate determination.

1. Routine operating cost. Routine operating cost shall be defined as in 12VAC30-90-271 and 12VAC30-90-272. To calculate the routine operating cost reimbursement rate, routine operating cost shall be converted to a per diem amount by dividing it by actual patient days. Effective July 1, 2016, the base year for routine operating cost shall be the most recently settled cost reports with a fiscal year ending in a calendar year for all specialized care facilities as of the end of the calendar year prior to the prospective rate year.

2. Allowable cost identification and cost reimbursement limitations. The provisions of Article 5 (12VAC30-90-50 et seq.) of Subpart II of Part II of this chapter and of Appendix III (12VAC30-90-290) of Part III of this chapter shall apply to specialized care cost and reimbursement.

3. Routine operating cost rates. Each facility shall be reimbursed a prospective rate for routine operating costs. This rate will be the lesser of the facility-specific prospective routine operating ceiling, or the facility-specific prospective routine operating cost per day plus an efficiency incentive. This efficiency incentive shall be calculated by the same method as in 12VAC30-90-41.

4. Facility-specific prospective routine operating ceiling. Each nursing facility's prospective routine operating ceiling shall be calculated as:

a. Statewide ceiling. The statewide routine operating ceiling shall be $415 as of July 1, 2002. This routine operating ceiling amount shall be adjusted for inflation based on 12VAC30-90-41. Effective July 1, 2016, the routine operating ceiling shall be $573.09 as of state fiscal year 2015 and shall be adjusted for inflation based on 12VAC-30-90-44 to the upcoming state fiscal year, the prospective rate year.

b. The portion of the statewide routine operating ceiling relating to nursing salaries (as determined by the 1994 audited cost report data, or 67.22%) will be wage adjusted using a normalized wage index. The normalized wage index shall be the wage index applicable to the individual provider's geographic location under Medicare rules of reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities, divided by the statewide average of such wage indices across the state. This normalization of wage indices shall be updated January 1, after each time the CMS publishes wage indices for skilled nursing facilities. Updated normalization shall be effective for fiscal years starting on and after the January 1 for which the normalization is calculated. Effective July 1, 2016, the normalized wage index for the federal fiscal year following the base year shall be applied to the state fiscal year ceiling.

5. Facility-specific prospective routine operating base cost per day. The facility-specific routine operating cost per day to be used in the calculation of the routine operating rate and the efficiency incentive shall be the actual routine cost per day from the most recent fiscal year's cost report, adjusted for inflation based on 12VAC30-90-41. Effective July 1, 2016, the routine operating base cost per day in subdivision 1 of this subsection shall be adjusted for inflation based on 12VAC30-90-44 to the upcoming state fiscal year, the prospective rate year.

6. Interim rates. Interim rates, for processing claims during the year, shall be calculated from the most recent settled cost report available at the time the interim rates must be set, except that failure to submit a cost report timely may result in adjustment to interim rates as provided elsewhere. Effective July 1, 2016, this subdivision is no longer applicable.

7. Ancillary costs. Specialized care ancillary costs will be paid on a pass-through basis for those Medicaid specialized care patients who do not have Medicare or any other sufficient third-party insurance coverage. Ancillary costs will be reimbursed as follows:

a. All covered ancillary services, except kinetic therapy devices, will be reimbursed for reasonable costs as defined in the current NHPS. Effective for specialized care days on or after January 15, 2007, reimbursement for reasonable costs shall be subject to a ceiling. The ceiling shall be $238.81 per day for calendar year 2004 (150% of average costs) and shall be inflated to the appropriate provider fiscal year. For cost report years beginning in each calendar year, ancillary ceilings will be inflated based on 12VAC30-90-41. See 12VAC30-90-290 for the cost reimbursement limitations. Effective July 1, 2016, the ancillary ceiling of $300.38 in state fiscal year 2015, inclusive of kinetic therapy devices, shall be adjusted for inflation to the prospective rate year based on 12VAC30-90-44.

b. Kinetic therapy devices will have a limit per day (based on 1994 audited cost report data inflated to the rate period). See 12VAC30-90-290 for the cost reimbursement limitations.

c. Kinetic therapy devices will be reimbursed only if a resident is being treated for wounds that meet the following wound care criteria. Residents receiving this wound care must require kinetic bed therapy (that is, low air loss mattresses, fluidized beds, or rotating or turning beds) and require treatment for a grade (stage) IV decubitus, a large surgical wound that cannot be closed, or second to third degree burns covering more than 10% of the body.

8. Covered ancillary services are defined as follows: laboratory, X-ray, medical supplies (e.g., infusion pumps, incontinence supplies), physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, inhalation therapy, IV therapy, enteral feedings, and kinetic therapy. The following are not specialized care ancillary services and are excluded from specialized care reimbursement: physician services, psychologist services, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and drugs. These services must be separately billed to DMAS. An interim rate for the covered ancillary services will be determined (using data from the most recent settled cost report) by dividing allowable ancillary costs by the number of patient days for the same cost reporting period. The interim rate will be retroactively cost settled based on the specialized care nursing facility cost reporting period.

9. Capital costs. Effective July 1, 2016, capital cost reimbursement rate shall be based on subsection C of 12VAC30-90-44 in accordance with 12VAC30-90-35, 12VAC30-90-36, and 12VAC30-90-37, except that the required occupancy percentage shall not be separately applied to specialized care. To determine the capital cost related to specialized care patients, the following calculation shall be applied.

a. Licensed beds, including specialized care beds, multiplied by days in the cost reporting period, shall equal available days.

b. The required occupancy days shall equal the required occupancy percentage multiplied by available days.

c. The required occupancy days minus actual resident days, including specialized care days, shall equal the shortfall of days. If the shortfall of days is negative, the shortfall of days shall be zero.

d. Actual resident days, not including specialized care days, plus the shortfall of days shall equal the minimum number of days to be used to calculate the capital cost per day.

10. Nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs (NATCEP) costs. NATCEP costs will be paid on a pass-through basis in accordance with the current NHPS. Effective July 1, 2016, NATCEP costs shall be paid on a prospective basis in accordance with 12VAC30-90-170.

11. Pediatric routine operating cost rate. For pediatric specialized care in a distinct part pediatric specialized care unit, one routine operating cost ceiling will be developed. The routine operating cost ceiling will be $418 as of July 1, 2002. Effective July 1, 2016, the pediatric routine operating cost ceiling shall be $577.24.

a. The statewide operating ceiling shall be adjusted for each nursing facility in the same manner as described in subdivision 4 of this section.

b. The final routine operating cost reimbursement rate shall be computed as described for other than pediatric units in subdivision 3 of this section.

12. Pediatric unit capital cost. Pediatric unit capital costs will be reimbursed in accordance with subdivision 9 of this section, except that the occupancy requirement shall be 70% rather than the required occupancy percentage.

13. The cost reporting requirements of 12VAC30-90-70 and 12VAC30-90-80 shall apply to specialized care providers.

14. Effective July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2022, specialized care operating rates shall be increased annually by inflation based on 12VAC30-90-44.