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Administrative Code

Virginia Administrative Code
12/22/2024

Part II. Long-Stay Acute Care Hospitals

12VAC30-130-80. Scope.

Medicaid shall cover long-stay acute care hospital services as defined in 12VAC30-130-90 provided by hospitals certified as long-stay acute care hospitals and which have provider agreements with the Department of Medical Assistance Services.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR460-04-8.10 § 1, eff. June 29, 1994.

12VAC30-130-90. Authorization for services.

Long-stay acute care hospital stays shall be preauthorized by the submission of a completed comprehensive assessment instrument, a physician certification of the need for long-stay acute care hospital placement, and any additional information that justifies the need for intensive services. Prior authorization shall be required by submission of the information described above. Physician certification must accompany the request. Periods of care not authorized by the Department of Medical Assistance Services shall not be approved for payment.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR460-04-8.10 § 2, eff. June 29, 1994.

12VAC30-130-100. Criteria for long-stay acute care hospital stays.

A. Adult long-stay acute care hospital criteria.

1. The resident must have long-term health conditions requiring close medical supervision, 24-hour licensed nursing care, and specialized services or equipment needs. The population to be served includes individuals requiring mechanical ventilation, individuals with communicable diseases requiring universal or respiratory precautions, individuals requiring ongoing intravenous medication or nutrition administration, and individuals requiring comprehensive rehabilitative therapy services.

2. At a minimum, the individual must require physician visits at least once weekly, licensed nursing services 24 hours a day (a registered nurse whose sole responsibility is the designated unit must be on the nursing unit on which the resident resides, 24 hours a day), and coordinated multidisciplinary team approach to meet needs.

3. In addition, the individual must meet at least one of the following requirements:

a. Must require two out of three of the following rehabilitative services: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-pathology services; each required therapy must be provided daily, five days per week, for a minimum of one hour each day; individual must demonstrate progress in overall rehabilitative plan of care on a monthly basis; or

b. Must require special equipment such as mechanical ventilators, respiratory therapy equipment (that has to be supervised by a licensed nurse or respiratory therapist), monitoring device (respiratory or cardiac), kinetic therapy; or

c. The individual must require at least one of the following special services:

(1) Ongoing administration of intravenous medications or nutrition (i.e. total parenteral nutrition (TPN), antibiotic therapy, narcotic administration, etc.);

(2) Special infection control precautions such as universal or respiratory precaution (this does not include handwashing precautions only);

(3) Dialysis treatment that is provided on-unit (i.e. peritoneal dialysis);

(4) Daily respiratory therapy treatments that must be provided by a licensed nurse or a respiratory therapist;

(5) Extensive wound care requiring debridement, irrigation, packing, etc., more than two times a day (i.e. grade IV decubiti; large surgical wounds that cannot be closed; second- or third-degree burns covering more than 10% of the body); or

(6) Multiple unstable ostomies (a single ostomy does not constitute a requirement for special care) requiring frequent care (i.e. suctioning every hour, stabilization of feeding, stabilization of elimination, etc.)

B. Pediatric/adolescent patients in long-stay acute care hospitals criteria.

1. To be eligible for long-stay acute care hospital services, the child must have ongoing health conditions requiring close medical supervision, 24-hour licensed nursing supervision, and specialized services or equipment needs. The recipient must be age 21 or under. The population to be served includes children requiring mechanical ventilation, those with communicable diseases requiring universal or respiratory precautions (excluding normal childhood diseases such as chicken pox, measles, strep throat, etc.), those requiring ongoing intravenous medication or nutrition administration, those requiring daily dependence on device-based respiratory or nutritional support (tracheostomy, gastrostomy, etc.), those requiring comprehensive rehabilitative therapy services, and those with a terminal illness.

2. The child must minimally require physician visits at least once weekly, licensed nursing services 24 hours a day (a registered nurse whose sole responsibility is that nursing unit must be on the unit on which the child is residing 24 hours a day), and a coordinated multidisciplinary team approach to meet needs.

3. In addition, the child must meet one of the following requirements:

a. Must require two out of three of the following physical rehabilitative services: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-pathology services; each required therapy must be provided daily, five days per week, for a minimum of 45 minutes per day; child must demonstrate progress in overall rehabilitative plan of care on a monthly basis; or

b. Must require special equipment such as mechanical ventilators, respiratory therapy equipment (that has to be supervised by licensed nurse or respiratory therapist), monitoring device (respiratory or cardiac), kinetic therapy, etc; or

c. Must require at least one of the following special services:

(1) Ongoing administration of intravenous medications or nutrition (i.e. total parenteral nutrition (TPN), antibiotic therapy, narcotic administration, etc.);

(2) Special infection control precautions such as universal or respiratory precaution (this does not include handwashing precautions only or isolation for normal childhood diseases such as measles, chicken pox, strep throat, etc.);

(3) Dialysis treatment that is provided within the facility (i.e. peritoneal dialysis);

(4) Daily respiratory therapy treatments that must be provided by a licensed nurse or a respiratory therapist;

(5) Extensive wound care requiring debridement, irrigation, packing, etc., more than two times a day (i.e., grade IV decubiti; large surgical wounds that cannot be closed; second- or third-degree burns covering more than 10% of the body);

(6) Ostomy care requiring services by a licensed nurse;

(7) Services required for terminal care.

4. In addition, the long-stay acute care hospital must provide for the educational and habilitative needs of the child. These services must be age appropriate, must meet state educational requirements, and must be appropriate to the child's cognitive level. Services must also be individualized to meet the specific needs of the child and must be provided in an organized manner that encourages the child to participate. Services may include, but are not limited to, school, active treatment for mental retardation, habilitative therapies, social skills, and leisure activities. Therapeutic leisure activities must be provided daily.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR460-04-8.10 § 3, eff. June 29, 1994.

12VAC30-130-110. Documentation requirements.

A. Services not specifically documented in the resident's medical record as having been rendered shall be deemed not to have been rendered and no coverage shall be provided.

B. The long-stay acute care hospital shall maintain and retain the business and professional records sufficient to document fully and accurately the nature, scope, and details of the health care provided. Such records shall be retained for a period of not less than five years from the date of service or as provided by applicable state laws, whichever period is longer, except that, if an audit is initiated within the required retention period, the records must be retained until the audit is completed and every exception resolved.

C. The following documentation must be maintained in the resident's medical record:

1. Each record must identify the resident on each page.

2. Entries must be signed and dated (month, day, and year) by the author, followed by professional title. Care rendered by personnel under the supervision of the provider, which is in accordance with Medicaid policy, must be countersigned by the responsible licensed participating provider.

3. The attending physician must certify at the time of admission that the resident requires long-stay acute hospital care and meets the criteria as defined by DMAS.

4. The record must contain a preliminary working diagnosis and the elements of a history and physical examination upon which the diagnosis is based.

5. All services provided, as well as any treatment plan, must be entered in the record. Any drugs prescribed and administered as part of a physician's treatment plan, including the quantities, route of administration, and the dosage must be recorded.

6. The record must indicate the resident's progress, any change in diagnosis or treatment, and the response to the treatment. The documentation must include in detail all treatment rendered to the resident in accordance with the plan with specific attention to frequency, duration, modality, response to treatment, and identify who provided such treatment.

7. Physician progress notes must be written at least weekly and must reflect that the resident has been examined by the physician.

8. A comprehensive nursing assessment must be made by a registered nurse at the time of admission to the facility. Nursing care plans based on an admission assessment must be resident-specific and must indicate realistic nursing needs, measurable goals, and specifically state the method by which the goals are to be accomplished. They must be updated as needed, but at least monthly. Nursing summaries, in addition to the p.r.n. (as needed) notes, are required weekly. Nursing summaries must give a current, written picture of the resident, the resident's nursing needs, the care being provided, and the resident's response to treatment. The nursing summary at a minimum must address the following: medical status; functional status in activities of daily living, elimination, mobility, and emotional/mental status; special nursing procedures; and identification and resolution of acute illnesses or episodes.

9. Social services documentation must include a social evaluation and history and a social services plan of care including a discharge plan. The social work plans of care must be resident-specific and include measurable goals with realistic time frames. Social work plans of care must be updated as needed and at least monthly every 30 days. Social services progress notes must be written at least every 30 days.

10. Activities documentation must be based on a comprehensive assessment completed by the designated activity coordinator. An activity plan of care must be developed for each resident and must include consideration of the individual's interests and skills, the physician's recommendations, social and rehabilitation goals, and personal care requirements. Individual and group activities must be included in the plan. The activity plan of care must be updated as needed but at least every 30 days. Activity progress notes must be written at least every 30 days. Therapeutic leisure activities must be provided daily.

11. Rehabilitative therapy (physical and occupational therapy or speech-language services) or other health care professional (psychologist, respiratory therapist, etc.) documentation must include an assessment completed by the qualified rehabilitation professional. A plan of care developed specific to the resident must be developed and must include measurable goals with realistic time frames. The plan of care must be updated as needed but at least every 30 days. Rehabilitative therapy or other health care professional progress notes must be written at least every 30 days.

12. Each resident's record must contain a dietary evaluation and plan of care completed by a registered dietician. The plan of care must be resident-specific and must have measurable goals within realistic time frames. The plan of care must be updated as needed, but at least every 30 days. The dietary assessment and monthly plans of care must be completed by a registered dietician. Dietary progress notes must be written at least every 30 days.

13. A coordinated interdisciplinary plan of care must be developed for each resident. The plan of care must be resident-specific and must contain measurable goals within realistic time frames. Based on the physician's plan of care, the interdisciplinary team should include, but is not necessarily limited to, nurses, social workers, activities coordinators, dieticians, rehabilitative therapists, direct care staff, and the resident or responsible party. At a minimum, the interdisciplinary team must review and update the interdisciplinary plan of care as needed but at least every 30 days. The interdisciplinary plan of care review must identify those attending the meeting, changes in goals and approaches, and progress made toward meeting established goals and discharge.

14. For residents age 21 and younger, the record must contain documentation that educational or habilitative services are provided as required. The documentation shall include an evaluation of the resident's educational or habilitative needs, a description of the educational or habilitative services provided, a schedule of planned programs, and records of resident attendance. Educational or habilitative progress notes shall be written at least every 30 days.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR460-04-8.10 § 4, eff. June 29, 1994.

12VAC30-130-120. Long-stay acute care hospital services.

All services must be provided by appropriately qualified personnel. The following services are covered long-stay acute care hospital services:

A. Physician services.

1. Physician services shall be performed by a professional who is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth, who is acting within the scope of his license, and who is a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, a doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine, a doctor of podiatric medicine, a doctor of optometry, or a chiropractor.

2. An attending physician means a physician who is a doctor of medicine or osteopathy and is identified by the individual as having the most significant role in the determination and delivery of the individual's medical care.

B. Licensed nursing services.

1. Must be provided 24 hours a day (a registered nurse, whose sole responsibility is the designated unit on which the resident resides, must be on the unit 24 hours a day).

2. Nursing services shall be of a level of complexity and sophistication, or the condition of the resident shall be of a nature, that the services can only be performed by a registered nurse or licensed professional nurse, or nursing assistant under the direct supervision of a registered nurse who is experienced in providing the specialized care required by the resident.

C. Rehabilitative services.

1. Rehabilitative services shall be directly and specifically related to written plan of care designed by a physician after any needed consultation with the rehabilitation professional.

2. Physical therapy services shall be of a level of complexity and sophistication, or the condition of the resident shall be of a nature, that the services can only be performed by a physical therapist licensed by the Board of Medicine, or a physical therapy assistant who is licensed by the Board of Medicine and under the direct supervision of a physical therapist licensed by the Board of Medicine.

3. Occupational therapy services shall be of a level of complexity and sophistication, or the condition of the resident shall be of a nature, that the services can only be performed by an occupational therapist registered and certified by the American Occupational Therapy Certification Board or an occupational therapy assistant certified by the American Occupational Therapy Certification Board under the direct supervision of an occupational therapist as defined.

4. Speech-language services shall be of a level of complexity and sophistication, or the condition of the resident shall be of a nature that the services can only be performed by a speech-language pathologist licensed by the Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

D. Ancillary services shall be provided directly and specifically related to a plan of care designed by the physician. The ancillary services may include but are not limited to dietary, respiratory therapy services, and psychological services.

1. Dietary services must be of a level of complexity or sophistication, or the nature of the resident shall be of a nature that the services can only be performed or supervised by a dietician, registered with the American Dietetic Association.

2. Respiratory therapy services must be of a level of complexity and sophistication, or the nature of the resident shall be of a nature that the services can only be performed by a respiratory therapist. Respiratory therapy services must be provided by a respiratory therapist certified by the Board of Medicine or registered with the National Board for Respiratory Care. If the facility agrees to provide care to a resident who is dependent on mechanical assistance for respiration (positive or negative pressure mechanical ventilators), respiratory therapy services must be available 24 hours daily. If the facility contracts for respiratory therapy services, a respiratory therapist must be on call 24 hours daily and available to the facility in a timely manner.

3. Psychology services shall be of a level of complexity or sophistication, or the condition shall be of a nature that the services can only be performed by a psychologist licensed by the Board of Medicine or by a licensed clinical social worker under the direct supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist or a licensed psychologist clinical.

4. Activity programs under the supervision of designated activities coordinators. The program of activities must include both individual and group activities which are based on consideration of interest, skills, physical and mental status, and personal care requirements.

5. Provide social services to each resident in an effort to assist the resident, his family and the facility staff in understanding the significant social and emotional factors related to the health problems, to assist with appropriate utilization of community resources and to coordinate discharge plans. Social services must be provided by a social worker with at least a bachelor's degree in social work or similar qualifications.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR460-04-8.10 § 5, eff. June 29, 1994.

12VAC30-130-130. Long-stay acute care hospital requirements.

A. A coordinated multidisciplinary team approach shall be implemented to meet the needs of the resident. Based on the physician's plan of care, the interdisciplinary team should include, but is not necessarily limited to, nurses, social workers, activity coordinators, dieticians, rehabilitative therapists, and any direct care staff.

B. The long-stay acute care hospital shall provide for the educational and habilitative needs of residents age 21 or younger. These services must be age appropriate, must meet state educational requirements, and must be appropriate to the child's cognitive level. Services must be individualized to meet the specific needs of the child and must be provided in an organized manner which encourages the child to participate. Services may include but are not limited to school, active treatment for mental retardation, habilitative therapies, social skills and leisure activities. Therapeutic leisure activities must be provided daily.

C. The long-stay acute care hospital shall provide an acceptable plan for assuring that residents requiring long-stay acute hospital care are afforded the same opportunity for participating in integrated facility activities as the other facility residents.

D. Nonemergency transportation shall be provided so that residents may participate in community activities sponsored by the facility or community activities in which the facility is providing transportation for other facility residents.

E. The long-stay acute care hospital shall coordinate discharge planning for the resident utilizing all available resources in an effort to assist the resident to maximize his potential for independence and self-sufficiency and to assure that services are being provided by the most effective level of care.

F. The long-stay acute care hospital shall provide family or caregiver training in the skills necessary for the care of the resident in the community, should the resident or the resident's caregiver so desire.

G. The long-stay acute care hospital shall provide all necessary durable medical equipment to sustain life or monitor vital signs and to carry out a plan of care designed by the physician. This equipment may include but is not limited to mechanical ventilator, apnea monitor, etc.

H. The long-stay acute care hospital shall provide utilization review activities as follows:

1. Purpose. The objective of the utilization review mechanism is the maintenance of high-quality patient care and the most efficient utilization of resources through an educational approach involving the study of patient care as well as to ensure that inpatient care is provided only when medically necessary and that the care meets quality standards.

a. In addition to the certification by the resident's physician, the hospital shall have a utilization review plan which provides for review of all Medicaid patient stays and medical care evaluation studies of admissions, durations of stay, and professional services rendered.

b. Effective utilization review shall be maintained on a continuing basis to ensure the medical necessity of the services for which the program pays and to promote the most efficient use of available health facilities and services.

2. The Department of Medical Assistance Services delegates to the local facilities' utilization review departments the utilization review of inpatient hospital services for all Medicaid admissions. The hospital must have a utilization review plan reflecting 100% review of Medicaid residents, approved by the Division of Licensure and Certification of the Department of Health, and DMAS or the appropriate licensing agency in the state in which the institution is licensed.

3. The hospital utilization review coordinator shall approve the medical necessity, based on admission criteria approved by the utilization review committee, within one working day of admission. In the event of an intervening Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, a review must be performed the next working day. This review shall be reflected in the hospital utilization review plan and the resident's record.

4. If the admission is determined medically necessary, an initial stay review date must be assigned and reflected on the utilization review sheets. Continued or extended stay review must be assigned prior to or on the date assigned for the initial stay. If the facility's utilization review committee has reason to believe that an inpatient admission was not medically necessary, it may review the admission at any time. However, the decision of a utilization review committee in one facility shall not be binding upon the utilization review committee in another facility.

5. If the admission or continued stay is found to be medically unnecessary, the attending physician shall be notified and be allowed to present additional information. If the hospital physician advisor still finds the admission or continued stay unnecessary, a notice of adverse decision must be made within one working day after the admission or continued stay is denied. Copies of this decision must be sent by the utilization review committee's designated agent to the hospital administrator, attending physician, recipient or recipient's authorized representative, and Medicaid.

6. As part of the utilization review plan, long-stay acute care hospitals shall have one medical or patient care evaluation study in process and one completed each calendar year. Medical care evaluation studies must contain the elements mandated by 42 CFR 456.141 through 456.145. The elements are objectives of study, results of the study, evaluation of the results, and action plan or recommendations as indicated by study results.

7. The Department of Medical Assistance Services shall monitor the length of stay for inpatient hospital stays. The guidelines used shall be based on the criteria described in 12VAC30-130-100. If the stay or any portion of the stay is found to be medically unnecessary, contrary to program requirements, or if the required documentation has not been received, reimbursement will not be made by Medicaid.

8. Services not specifically documented in the patient's medical record as having been rendered shall be deemed not to have been rendered and no coverage shall be provided.

I. The long-stay acute care hospital shall provide all medical supplies necessary to provide care as directed by the physician's plan of care for the resident. These supplies may include but are not limited to suction catheters, tracheostomy care supplies, oxygen, etc.

J. The long-stay acute care hospital shall provide all nutritional elements including those that must be administered intravenously. This includes providing all necessary equipment or supplies necessary to administer the nutrients.

K. The long-stay acute care hospital shall submit all necessary health care and medical social service information on the resident to DMAS for preadmission authorization. The provider cannot bill DMAS for services that have not been preauthorized.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR460-04-8.10 § 6, eff. June 29, 1994.

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