Sec. 17b-347. (Formerly Sec. 17-314g). Termination of Medicaid provider agreements by nursing home facilities. Rates to be charged self-pay patients.

      Sec. 17b-347. (Formerly Sec. 17-314g). Termination of Medicaid provider agreements by nursing home facilities. Rates to be charged self-pay patients. (a) Any nursing home facility, as defined in section 19a-521, which intends to decrease its services to persons who receive medical assistance benefits from the state by terminating its Medicaid provider agreement shall notify the Commissioner of Social Services in writing and shall transfer all patients who receive such benefits to another facility which participates in the Medicaid program within thirty days of the date of such termination. The facility terminating such agreement shall be responsible for any loss of federal financial participation arising from such termination. At least six months prior to a nursing home facility notifying the commissioner of its intention to terminate its Medicaid provider agreement the facility shall provide written notification of such intention to each patient, applicant for admission and, if known, each patient's and each applicant's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator. Failure of a nursing home to provide such notice to each patient, applicant and legally liable relative, guardian or conservator shall invalidate any notice provided to the commissioner.

      (b) The commissioner may enter into a limited provider agreement to provide Medicaid reimbursement for care rendered to eligible patients for up to ninety days following the date of termination of a facility's Medicaid provider agreement. Thereafter, the commissioner shall enter into a limited provider agreement only for patients eligible for Medicaid who are determined by the Department of Public Health to be in imminent danger of death if involuntarily transferred or discharged in accordance with section 19a-535. The commissioner shall provide no reimbursement to any facility which has terminated its Medicaid provider agreement other than the reimbursement provided under a limited provider agreement entered into pursuant to this subsection.

      (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, the commissioner shall enter into a limited provider agreement with any facility which provided notice to the commissioner of its intention to terminate its Medicaid provider agreement after July 1, 1989, and before March 1, 1990, to provide Medicaid reimbursement for care rendered to (1) patients residing in such a facility who are eligible for Medicaid on or before March 31, 1990, and (2) patients residing in such a facility on or before March 31, 1990, who become eligible for Medicaid. No such patient in such a facility shall be involuntarily transferred or discharged on the basis of source of payment.

      (d) Notwithstanding any provisions of the general statutes, the public or special acts of 1989 or 1990 or the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, the Commissioner of Social Services shall determine the maximum rate to be charged self-pay patients in any nursing home facility which has notified the commissioner of its intention to terminate its Medicaid provider agreement on or after March 1, 1990, by (1) determining the rate to be paid for persons aided or cared for by the state or any town in this state pursuant to regulations in effect March 1, 1990, adopted under section 17b-238; and (2) adding to such rate a percentage of the state-wide median Medicaid rate as determined pursuant to regulations in effect March 1, 1990, adopted under section 17b-238, according to the following schedule:

 
 
Type of RoomPercentage Of
State-Wide Median
Medicaid Rate Private27% Semiprivate14% Three or more beds per room10%

If a facility terminates or fails to renew its provider agreement during a rate year, the commissioner shall revise the rate to be charged self-pay patients determined in accordance with this subsection. The revised rate shall take effect (A) on the date of termination or expiration of the provider agreement if the revision results in a decrease in the rate; or (B) upon thirty days notice to the self-pay patients if the revision results in an increase in the rate.

      (P.A. 89-325, S. 10, 26; P.A. 90-217, S. 2, 3; P.A. 92-163; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58.)

      History: P.A. 90-217 added provisions re notification required when a facility intends to terminate its provider agreement, terms of limited provider agreements and rates to be charged self-pay patients in a facility which has terminated its provider agreement and divided sections into Subsecs.; P.A. 92-163 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provision requiring patient to be eligible for Medicaid on the date of termination of a facility's provider agreement in order to be covered under a limited provider agreement if in imminent danger of death if involuntarily transferred or discharged; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-314g transferred to Sec. 17b-347 in 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995.