DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC WELFAREAdditional Class of Disproportionate Share Payments [43 Pa.B. 3581]
[Saturday, June 29, 2013]The Department of Public Welfare (Department) is announcing its intent to establish a new class of disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments for certain Medical Assistance (MA) acute care general hospitals (hospitals) which participate in an academic medical program to ensure their continued participation in the MA Program. This payment is intended to promote access to inpatient hospital specialty services for MA eligible persons in less urbanized areas of this Commonwealth by providing support for the medical education and operations of an academic medical program, which will foster an adequate supply of health care professionals to treat the MA population. The Department intends to allocate funding for this additional class of DSH payments to qualifying hospitals for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012-2013.
The Department will determine a hospital eligible for this additional class of DSH payments if the hospital meets the following criteria:
1. The hospital is enrolled in the MA Program as a general acute care hospital and is licensed to provide inpatient obstetrical and neonatal services as reported by the Department of Health for the period of July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011.
2. Effective October 1, 2012, the hospital is accredited as a Level III Trauma Center by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation.
3. The hospital provides a minimum of 50,000 total hospital inpatient days of care, of which more than 7,500 are for MA inpatient days of care based on the hospital's MA Cost Report (MA 336) for State FY 2009-2010.
4. The hospital's ratio of uncompensated care to net patient revenue exceeds 4.4%, based on the Health Care Cost Containment Council's Financial Analysis 2011, Volume One.
The Department will divide the total payment proportionately among all qualifying hospitals based on each hospital's total MA inpatient days to total MA inpatient days for all qualifying hospitals.
Fiscal Impact
The FY 2012-2013 impact, as a result of the funding allocation for this payment is $4.374 million ($2.000 million in State general funds and $2.374 million in Federal funds upon approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).
Public Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding this notice to the Department of Public Welfare, Office of Medical Assistance Programs, c/o Regulations Coordinator, Room 515, Health and Welfare Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120. The Department will consider all comments received within 30 days of this notice.
Persons with a disability who require an auxiliary aid or service may submit comments using the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at (800) 654-5984 (TDD users) or (800) 654-5988 (voice users).
BEVERLY D. MACKERETH,
Acting SecretaryFiscal Note: 14-NOT-833. (1) General Fund; (2) Implementing Year 2012-13 is $2,000,000; (3) 1st Succeeding Year 2013-14 is $2,000,000; 2nd Succeeding Year 2014-15 is $0; 3rd Succeeding Year 2015-16 is $0; 4th Succeeding Year 2016-17 is $0; 5th Succeeding Year 2017-18 is $0; (4) 2011-12 Program—$12,618,000; 2010-11 Program—$18,871,000; 2009-10 Program—$20,140,000; (7) MA—Academic Medical Centers; (8) recommends adoption. Funds have been included in the budget to cover this increase.
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 13-1170. Filed for public inspection June 28, 2013, 9:00 a.m.]
