1999 Florida Code
TITLE XXX SOCIAL WELFARE
Chapter 409 Social and Economic Assistance  
409.911   Disproportionate share program.

409.911  Disproportionate share program.--Subject to specific allocations established within the General Appropriations Act and any limitations established pursuant to chapter 216, the agency shall distribute, pursuant to this section, moneys to hospitals providing a disproportionate share of Medicaid or charity care services by making quarterly Medicaid payments as required. Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 409.915, counties are exempt from contributing toward the cost of this special reimbursement for hospitals serving a disproportionate share of low-income patients.

(1)  Definitions.--As used in this section and s. 409.9112:

(a)  "Adjusted patient days" means the sum of acute care patient days and intensive care patient days as reported to the Agency for Health Care Administration, divided by the ratio of inpatient revenues generated from acute, intensive, ambulatory, and ancillary patient services to gross revenues.

(b)  "Actual audited data" or "actual audited experience" means data reported to the Agency for Health Care Administration which has been audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards by the agency or representatives under contract with the agency.

(c)  "Base Medicaid per diem" means the hospital's Medicaid per diem rate initially established by the Agency for Health Care Administration on January 1, prior to the beginning of each state fiscal year. The base Medicaid per diem rate shall not include any additional per diem increases received as a result of the disproportionate share distribution.

(d)  "Charity care" or "uncompensated charity care" means that portion of hospital charges reported to the Agency for Health Care Administration for which there is no compensation for care provided to a patient whose family income for the 12 months preceding the determination is less than or equal to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, unless the amount of hospital charges due from the patient exceeds 25 percent of the annual family income. However, in no case shall the hospital charges for a patient whose family income exceeds four times the federal poverty level for a family of four be considered charity.

(e)  "Charity care days" means the sum of the deductions from revenues for charity care minus 50 percent of restricted and unrestricted revenues provided to a hospital by local governments or tax districts, divided by gross revenues per adjusted patient day.

(f)  "Disproportionate share percentage" means a rate of increase in the Medicaid per diem rate as calculated under this section.

(g)  "Hospital" means a health care institution licensed as a hospital pursuant to chapter 395, but does not include ambulatory surgical centers.

(h)  "Medicaid days" means the number of actual days attributable to Medicaid patients as determined by the Agency for Health Care Administration.

(2)  The Agency for Health Care Administration shall utilize the following criteria to determine if a hospital qualifies for a disproportionate share payment:

(a)  A hospital's total Medicaid days when combined with its total charity care days must equal or exceed 7 percent of its total adjusted patient days.

(b)  A hospital's total charity care days weighted by a factor of 4.5, plus its total Medicaid days weighted by a factor of 1, shall be equal to or greater than 10 percent of its total adjusted patient days.

(c)  Additionally, in accordance with the seventh federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, a hospital with a Medicaid inpatient utilization rate greater than one standard deviation above the statewide mean or a hospital with a low-income utilization rate of 25 percent or greater shall qualify for reimbursement.

(3)  In computing the disproportionate share rate:

(a)  Per diem increases earned from disproportionate share shall be applied to each hospital's base Medicaid per diem rate and shall be capped at 170 percent.

(b)  The agency shall use the most recent calendar year audited data available at the beginning of each state fiscal year for the calculation of disproportionate share payments under this section.

(c)  If the total amount earned by all hospitals under this section exceeds the amount appropriated, each hospital's share shall be reduced on a pro rata basis so that the total dollars distributed from the trust fund do not exceed the total amount appropriated.

(d)  The total amount calculated to be distributed under this section shall be made in quarterly payments subsequent to each quarter during the fiscal year.

(4)  Hospitals that qualify for a disproportionate share payment solely under paragraph (2)(c) shall have their payment calculated in accordance with the following formulas:

TAA = TA x (1/5.5)
DSHP = (HMD/TSMD) x TAA

Where:

TAA = total amount available.

TA = total appropriation.

DSHP = disproportionate share hospital payment.

HMD = hospital Medicaid days.

TSMD = total state Medicaid days.

(5)  The following formula shall be utilized by the agency to determine the maximum disproportionate share rate to be used to increase the Medicaid per diem rate for hospitals that qualify pursuant to paragraphs (2)(a) and (b):

APD = adjusted patient days.

CCD = charity care days.

DSR = disproportionate share rate.

MD = Medicaid days.

(6)(a)  To calculate the total amount earned by all hospitals under this section, hospitals with a disproportionate share rate less than 50 percent shall divide their Medicaid days by four, and hospitals with a disproportionate share rate greater than or equal to 50 percent and with greater than 40,000 Medicaid days shall multiply their Medicaid days by 1.5, and the following formula shall be used by the agency to calculate the total amount earned by all hospitals under this section:

TAE = BMPD x MD x DSP

Where:

TAE = total amount earned.

BMPD = base Medicaid per diem.

MD = Medicaid days.

DSP = disproportionate share percentage.

(b)  In no case shall total payments to a hospital under this section, with the exception of state facilities, exceed the total amount of uncompensated charity care of the hospital, as determined by the agency according to the most recent calendar year audited data available at the beginning of each state fiscal year.

(7)  For fiscal year 1991-1992 and all years other than 1992-1993, the following criteria shall be used in determining the disproportionate share percentage:

(a)  If the disproportionate share rate is less than 10 percent, the disproportionate share percentage is zero and there is no additional payment.

(b)  If the disproportionate share rate is greater than or equal to 10 percent, but less than 20 percent, then the disproportionate share percentage is 2.1544347.

(c)  If the disproportionate share rate is greater than or equal to 20 percent, but less than 30 percent, then the disproportionate share percentage is 4.6415888766.

(d)  If the disproportionate share rate is greater than or equal to 30 percent, but less than 40 percent, then the disproportionate share percentage is 10.0000001388.

(e)  If the disproportionate share rate is greater than or equal to 40 percent, but less than 50 percent, then the disproportionate share percentage is 21.544347299.

(f)  If the disproportionate share rate is greater than or equal to 50 percent, but less than 60 percent, then the disproportionate share percentage is 46.41588941.

(g)  If the disproportionate share rate is greater than or equal to 60 percent, then the disproportionate share percentage is 100.

(8)  The following formula shall be used by the agency to calculate the total amount earned by all hospitals under this section:

TAE = BMPD x MD x DSP

Where:

TAE = total amount earned.

BMPD = base Medicaid per diem.

MD = Medicaid days.

DSP = disproportionate share percentage.

(9)  The agency is authorized to receive funds from local governments and other local political subdivisions for the purpose of making payments, including federal matching funds, through the Medicaid disproportionate share program. Funds received from local governments for this purpose shall be separately accounted for and shall not be commingled with other state or local funds in any manner.

(10)  Payments made by the agency to hospitals eligible to participate in this program shall be made in accordance with federal rules and regulations.

(a)  If the Federal Government prohibits, restricts, or changes in any manner the methods by which funds are distributed for this program, the agency shall not distribute any additional funds and shall return all funds to the local government from which the funds were received, except as provided in paragraph (b).

(b)  If the Federal Government imposes a restriction that still permits a partial or different distribution, the agency may continue to disburse funds to hospitals participating in the disproportionate share program in a federally approved manner, provided:

1.  Each local government which contributes to the disproportionate share program agrees to the new manner of distribution as shown by a written document signed by the governing authority of each local government; and

2.  The Executive Office of the Governor, the Office of Planning and Budgeting, the House of Representatives, and the Senate are provided at least 7 days' prior notice of the proposed change in the distribution, and do not disapprove such change.

(c)  No distribution shall be made under the alternative method specified in paragraph (b) unless all parties agree or unless all funds of those parties that disagree which are not yet disbursed have been returned to those parties.

(11)  Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 216, the Executive Office of the Governor is hereby authorized to establish sufficient trust fund authority to implement the disproportionate share program.

History.--s. 39, ch. 91-282; s. 78, ch. 92-289; s. 24, ch. 95-146; s. 185, ch. 99-8.