(a) The department shall pay to each project year private DSH hospital the amounts that would have been paid under the disproportionate share hospital program using the formulas and methodology in effect for the 2004–05 fiscal year as more specifically set forth in this section.
(b) For each project year, the department shall develop and issue a tentative and final disproportionate share list in accordance with Section 14105.98.
(c) For each project year, the department shall perform the computations set forth in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, and (6) to (8), inclusive, of subdivision (am) and paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (an) of Section 14105.98, subject to the following:
(1) For purposes of these computations, the maximum state disproportionate share hospital allotment for California for each project year shall be the allotment effective during the federal fiscal year beginning during the project year.
(2) All references to October 1 shall be deemed to be references to July 1.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the transfer amounts for the Medi-Cal Inpatient Payment Adjustment Fund to the Health Care Deposit Fund, as provided for pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 14163 shall be deemed to be eighty-five million dollars ($85,000,000) for purposes of the computations under this subdivision.
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the payments made under this section shall be treated as payment adjustments made under Section 14105.98 for purposes of computing the OBRA 1993 payment limitation, as defined in paragraph (24) of subdivision (a) of Section 14105.98, the low-income utilization rate, and all related computations.
(5) Subdivision (m) of Section 14105.98 shall apply to payments made under this section.
(d) Interim payments shall be made for the first five months of each project year as follows:
(1) Interim payments shall be made to each private hospital identified on a tentative disproportionate share list for the project year that was also on the final disproportionate share list for the prior fiscal year. The interim payment amount per month for each of these hospitals shall equal one-twelfth of the total payments, excluding stabilization funds, made to the hospital for the prior fiscal year under this section or under Section 14105.98. The interim payment amount may be adjusted to reflect any changes in the total payment amounts, excluding stabilization funds, projected to be made under this section for the project year.
(2) The computation of interim payments described in this subdivision shall be made promptly after the department issues the tentative disproportionate share hospital list for the project year.
(3) The first interim payment for a project year shall be made to each hospital no later than 60 days after the issuance of the tentative disproportionate share hospital list for that project year and shall include the interim payment amounts for all prior months in the project year. Subsequent interim payments for a project year shall be made on the last checkwrite of each month made by the Controller until interim payments for the first five months of the project year have been made.
(4) The department may recover any interim payments for a project year made under this subdivision to a hospital that is not on the final disproportionate share hospital list for that project year. These interim payments shall be considered an overpayment. The department shall issue a demand for repayment to a hospital at least 30 days prior to taking action to recover the overpayment. After the 30-day period, the department may recover the overpayment using any of the methods set forth in Section 14115.5 or subdivision (c) of Section 14172.5. Any offset shall be subject to Section 14115.5 or subdivision (d) of Section 14172.5. No other provision of Section 14172.5 shall be applicable with respect to the recovery of overpayments under this subdivision. A hospital may appeal the department’s determination of an overpayment under this subdivision pursuant to the appeal procedures set forth in Sections 51016 to 51047, inclusive, of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, and seek judicial review of the final administrative decision pursuant to Section 14171, provided that the only issues that may be raised in this appeal are whether the hospital, but for inadvertent error by the department, was on the final disproportionate share list for the project year and whether the department’s computation of the overpayment amount is correct. If the hospital is reinstated on the final disproportionate share list pursuant to Section 14105.98, the department shall promptly refund any amount recovered under this paragraph.
(e) Tentative adjusted monthly payments shall be made for the months of December through March of each project year to each private hospital identified on the final disproportionate share hospital list for the project year, computed and paid as follows:
(1) An adjusted payment amount shall be computed for each hospital equal to the sum of the total payment adjustment amount for the hospital computed pursuant to subdivision (am) of Section 14105.98, plus the supplemental lump-sum payment adjustment amount computed pursuant to subdivision (an) of Section 14105.98, each as most recently computed by the department, plus any applicable interim estimated stabilization funding pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14166.14.
(2) A tentative adjusted monthly payment amount shall be computed for each hospital equal to the adjusted payment amount for the hospital, minus the aggregate interim payments made to the hospital for the project year, divided by seven.
(3) The computation of tentative adjusted monthly payments described in this subdivision shall be made promptly after the department issues the final disproportionate share hospital list for the project year.
(4) The first tentative adjusted monthly payment for a project year shall be made to each hospital by January 15 or within 60 days after the issuance of the final disproportionate share hospital list for the project year, whichever is later, and shall include the tentative adjusted monthly payment amounts for all prior months in the project year for which those payments are due. Subsequent tentative adjusted monthly payments for a project year shall be made on the last checkwrite of each month made by the Controller until tentative adjusted monthly payments for December through March of the project year have been made.
(f) Three data corrected payments shall be made on the last checkwrite of the month made by the Controller for the months of April through June of each project year to each private hospital identified on the final disproportionate share hospital list for the project year, computed and paid as follows:
(1) An annual data corrected payment amount shall be computed for each hospital equal to the sum of the total payment adjustment amount for the hospital computed pursuant to subdivision (am) of Section 14105.98, plus the supplemental lump-sum payment adjustment amount computed pursuant to subdivision (an) of Section 14105.98, each as most recently computed by the department, plus any interim estimated stabilization funding. The annual data corrected payment amounts shall reflect data corrections, hospital closures, and other revisions made by the department to the adjusted payment amounts computed under paragraph (1) of subdivision (e).
(2) A monthly data corrected payment amount shall be computed for each hospital equal to the annual data corrected payment amount for the hospital, minus both the aggregate interim payments made to the hospital for the project year and the aggregate tentative adjusted monthly payments made to the hospital, divided by three.
(g) Payment under subdivisions (d), (e), and (f) for a month shall be made only to private hospitals open for patient care through the 15th day of the month.
(h) The department shall compute a final adjusted payment amount for each private hospital on the final disproportionate share list for a project year after the completion of the project year and the determination of the amount of stabilization funding available to be paid under this section as follows:
(1) An amount shall be computed for each hospital equal to the sum of the total payment adjustment amount for the hospital computed pursuant to subdivision (am) of Section 14105.98, plus the supplemental lump-sum payment adjustment amount computed pursuant to subdivision (an) of Section 14105.98, each as most recently computed by the department. These amounts shall reflect data corrections, hospital closures, and other revisions made by the department to the annual data corrected payment amounts computed under paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) in a manner that ensures that any payments not payable or recouped are redistributed among hospitals eligible for a final adjusted payment amount in accordance with the calculations made pursuant to Section 14105.98.
(2) The department shall add to the amount computed for each hospital under paragraph (1) a pro rata share of any stabilization funding to be allocated and paid under this section, allocated based on the amounts computed under paragraph (1).
(3) The department shall for each hospital for each project year reconcile the total amount paid to the hospital for that project year under subdivisions (d), (e), and (f) with the amount determined under paragraph (2). The department shall issue a report to each hospital setting forth the result of the reconciliation that shall include the department’s computation, data, and identification of data sources. The department shall pay to the hospital any underpayment determined as a result of this reconciliation and collect from the hospital any overpayment determined as a result of this reconciliation pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (d).
(4) A hospital may seek to correct the department’s data and computations under this section in accordance with the processes undertaken by the department to implement Section 14105.98 in effect during the 2004–05 state fiscal year.
(i) In accordance with the demonstration project, the following shall apply:
(1) Payments under this section shall satisfy the state’s obligation to have a payment adjustment program for disproportionate share hospitals under Section 1923 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396r-4).
(2) Payments under this section and federal financial participation shall not be counted against the state’s allotment of federal funding for Medicaid disproportionate share payment adjustments.
(j) (1) For purposes of this subdivision, “federal disproportionate share allotment” means the federal Medicaid disproportionate share hospital allotment specified for California under Section 1396r-4(f) of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(2) In the event any hospital, or any party on behalf of a hospital, shall initiate a case or proceeding in any state or federal court in which the hospital seeks any relief of any sort whatsoever, including, but not limited to, monetary relief, injunctive relief, declaratory relief, or a writ, based in whole or in part on a contention that the hospital is entitled to, or should receive any portion of, the federal disproportionate share hospital allotment for any or all of federal fiscal years 2006 to 2010, inclusive, all of the following shall apply:
(A) No payments shall be made to the hospital pursuant to this section until the case or proceeding is finally resolved, including the final disposition of all appeals.
(B) Any amount computed to be payable to the hospital pursuant to this section for a project year shall be withheld by the department and shall be paid to the hospital only after the case or proceeding is finally resolved, including the final disposition of all appeals, and only if the case or proceeding does not result in any amount being paid or payable to the hospital from the federal disproportionate share hospital allotment for any portion of the project year.
(C) The hospital shall become ineligible to receive any amount pursuant to this section for any project year for which it is determined that the hospital is entitled to be paid any portion of the federal disproportionate share hospital allotment.
(D) Any amount that would have been payable to the hospital pursuant to this section, but is not paid to the hospital because the hospital has become ineligible to receive payments pursuant to this section shall be returned to the state General Fund.
(E) In the event any portion of the federal disproportionate share hospital allotment is applied to payments to any private hospital, the department shall make any additional payments that may be necessary from state funds so that the amount of the disproportionate share hospital payments that are made to designated public hospitals or nondesignated public hospitals is not less than the amount that would have been made if the allotment had not been applied to payments to any private hospital.
(F) A hospital’s total project year payment amount determined under this section may be subject to reduction by offset pursuant to Section 14115.5 or 14172.5.
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 327, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2007. Conditionally inoperative as provided in Section 14166.26 or in subd. (b) or (g) of Section 14166.2. Repealed on date prescribed in Section 14166.26 or in subd. (b) or (g) of Section 14166.2.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018