Existing law authorizes the Division of Health Care Financing and Policy of the Department of Health and Human Services to impose an assessment on agencies to provide personal care services in the home or medical facilities that are required to obtain a certain type of license after obtaining the approval of at least 67 percent of the operators of such agencies or facilities. (NRS 422.3794) Existing law requires the Division to expend the revenue generated from the assessment to: (1) provide supplemental payments and enhanced ratio of reimbursements to operators of agencies to provide personal care in the home and operators of medical facilities for services rendered to recipients of Medicaid; and (2) pay administrative costs. (NRS 422.37945) Sections 2-8 of this bill authorize the imposition of a similar assessment on groups of health care providers, other than hospitals or physicians, who provide similar services or practice in a specialty area. Sections 3-5 of this bill define necessary terms. Section 6 of this bill provides for the imposition of the assessment upon the affirmative vote of at least 67 percent of the affected providers. Section 7 of this bill creates the Account to Improve Health Care Quality and Access for Patients of Certain Providers and requires the Division to administer the Account and deposit the proceeds from the assessment into the Account. Section 7 authorizes the Division to use the money in the Account to: (1) increase the rates of reimbursement of providers in the assessed group receive from Medicaid to rates equal to certain benchmarks prescribed in federal law; and (2) pay administrative costs related to the assessment. If the Legislature authorizes the money in the Account for any other purpose, section 7 requires the Division to poll each provider group against which an assessment is currently being imposed concerning the continued imposition of the assessment. If the poll does not receive an affirmative vote from at least 67 percent of the affected providers, section 7: (1) requires that the Division cease imposing the assessment; and (2) provides that the regulations adopted to impose the assessment are void. Section 8 of this bill requires the Division to adopt regulations establishing administrative penalties against a health care provider who fails to pay an assessment in a timely manner. Section 8 also authorizes the Division, after notifying the provider, to deduct the amount of an unpaid assessment or administrative penalty from future payments owed to the provider under the State Plan for Medicaid. Finally, section 8 authorizes the Division to negotiate a payment plan with a health care provider before making such deductions. Section 9 of this bill makes a conforming change to indicate the proper placement of sections 2-8 in the Nevada Revised Statutes.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 232.320
Reprint 1: 232.320
BDR: 232.320