N.J. Admin. Code § 10:52-1.3

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 10:52-1.3 - Criteria for participation: outpatient hospital services

(a) The Division shall reimburse approved hospitals to provide covered outpatient hospital services, where applicable, in accordance with all the provisions of this chapter. In order to be approved and reimbursed as an outpatient hospital service, effective in accordance with the dates in (c) below, each site that provides an outpatient hospital service for which the hospital bills the Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service program as an outpatient hospital service shall have been approved by the Division in accordance with this rule. Such approval shall include sites located in the main inpatient hospital, and both the contiguous and non-contiguous sites.

(b) Each site shall meet all of the following criteria prior to receiving reimbursement from the Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service program as an outpatient hospital service, effective in accordance with the dates in (c) below:

1. The entity shall be physically located in close proximity to the hospital, and both the entity and the hospital shall service the same patient population (such as from the same service or catchment area);

i. In determining close proximity, the following factors will be considered:

(A) The distance between the entity and the inpatient hospital facility;

(B) The physical location (inner-city, urban, suburban or rural area) of the inpatient hospital facility and the entity; and

(C) The availability of other inpatient hospital facilities providing the same services located closer to the entity than the hospital requesting the outpatient designation.

ii. Pursuant to P.L. 2001, c. 393, specialized pediatric facilities licensed to provide pediatric comprehensive rehabilitation services shall not be subject to the close proximity criterion contained in (b)1 above. However, such pediatric facilities shall be subject to all other criteria set forth in (b)2 through 8 below.

2. The entity shall be an integral and subordinate part of the hospital, and as such, shall be operated with other departments of that hospital under the common hospital licensure issued by the New Jersey Department of Health, in accordance with NJ.A.C. 8:43G, or under the certification provisions of the appropriate State agency, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:52-1.2;

3. The entity shall be included under the accreditation of the hospital as specified by N.J.A.C. 10:52-1.2 and that accrediting body shall have recognized the entity as part of the hospital;

4. The entity shall be operated under common ownership and control (such as common governance) by the hospital, as evidenced by the following:

i. The entity shall be subject to common bylaws and operating decisions of the hospital's governing body;

ii. The hospital shall have final responsibility for administrative decisions, final approval for personnel actions, and final approval for medical staff appointments in the entity; and

iii. The entity shall function as a department of the hospital with significant common resource usage of buildings, equipment and service personnel on a daily basis;

5. The entity director shall be under the direct day-to-day supervision of the hospital, as evidenced by the following:

i. The entity director or individual responsible for the day-to-day operations at the entity shall maintain a daily reporting relationship and be accountable to the chief executive officer of the hospital, and report through that individual to the governing body of the hospital; and

ii. Administrative functions of the entity, such as, but not limited to, records, billing, laundry, housekeeping, and purchasing shall be integrated with those of the hospital;

6. Clinical services of the entity and the hospital shall be integrated as evidenced by the following:

i. Professional staff of the entity shall have clinical privileges in the hospital;

ii. The medical director of the entity, if the entity has a medical director, shall maintain a day-to-day reporting relationship to the chief medical officer or similar official of the hospital;

iii. All medical staff committees or other professional committees at the hospital shall be responsible for all medical activities in the entity;

iv. Medical records for patients treated in the entity shall be integrated into the unified records system of the hospital;

v. Patients treated at the entity shall be considered patients of the hospital and have full access to all hospital services; and

vi. Patient services provided in the entity shall be integrated into corresponding inpatient and/or outpatient services, as appropriate, by the hospital;

7. The entity shall be held out to the public as a part of the hospital, such that patients shall know that they are entering the hospital and shall be billed accordingly; and

8. The entity and the hospital shall be financially integrated as evidenced by the following:

i. The entity and the hospital shall have an agreement for the sharing of income and expenses; and

ii. The entity shall report its costs in the cost report of the hospital using the same accounting system for the same cost reporting period as the hospital's.

(c) In order for a service provided at the site to be reimbursed as an outpatient hospital service, effective on the date indicated in (c)2 and 3 below, the following reporting requirements shall be met for approval by the Division:

1. If the location in which the services are provided is located in or contiguous to the main inpatient hospital, the Division shall assume that these outpatient hospital services meet the criteria for participation pursuant to (b) above; therefore, the reporting requirements in (c)2 and 3 below shall not be required for these services. However, even though the services are located contiguous to the main inpatient hospital, (d) below shall apply.

2. All hospitals with existing entities as defined in this section, which do not meet the requirements in (c)1 above, shall submit a report to the Division no later than October 15, 1997 indicating each location, the type of services provided, and how each entity meets the criteria for participation set forth in (b) above. The Division shall review each hospital's submission and determine whether or not the service provided at the entity is reimbursed appropriately as an outpatient hospital service in accordance with (b) above. A determination of and notification of the approval or denial for reimbursement as an outpatient hospital service shall be issued by the Division.

i. Pending the Division's review process, the entity shall be reimbursed at the interim rate, as specified by N.J.A.C. 10:52-4.3(a).

ii. If the entity is approved to be reimbursed for a specific outpatient hospital service, the service shall continue to be reimbursed as an outpatient hospital service in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:52-4.3, effective on the date of approval.

iii. If the entity is denied approval for reimbursement of a specific outpatient service, the reimbursement for that service as an outpatient hospital service shall be discontinued 20 days after the date on the determination letter. However, for services provided prior to the date that reimbursement as an outpatient hospital service is discontinued, adjustments shall be made to the cost report for entities that are not considered hospital-based, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:52-4.3(a).

3. After September 15, 1997, all hospitals which intend to provide a new outpatient hospital service or existing service at a new location which is not contiguous to the inpatient hospital shall request and obtain approval from the Division before receiving Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare fee-for-service reimbursement as an outpatient hospital service.

i. The hospital shall report to the Division the location of each entity, the type of service provided, and how each entity meets the criteria for participation set forth in (b) above.

ii. The Division shall review each hospital's submission and determine whether or not the service provided by the entity shall be reimbursed as an outpatient hospital service. A determination of and notification of the approval or denial as an outpatient hospital service shall be issued by the Division and include the effective date of the notification of the approval or denial.

4. All information necessary, as specified in (c)3i above, for the Division to determine whether or not the services provided at the entity are approved as outpatient hospital services shall be sent to the following address:

Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services

Office of Hospital Reimbursement

PO Box 712, Mail Code #44

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0712

5. In the event information is not submitted as required by (c)2 and 3 above, the service provided at the entity shall be neither approved nor reimbursed as an outpatient hospital service for services provided on or after September 15, 1997.

6. The Offsite Location (entity) Certification Form (FD-392) can be requested from the above address.

(d) Once the Division approves the entity to be reimbursed as an outpatient hospital service, the Division or its settlement agent, as specified in N.J.A.C. 10:52-4.9, shall ensure that the information submitted is in compliance with (b) above. A review may occur at any time at the Division's discretion, including, but not limited to, the time of the audit of the hospital's cost report. If it is determined that the service provided by the entity is not provided consistent with the criteria for participation, as specified in (b) above, the Division shall notify the hospital of its denial of the service and disallow the costs and the related reimbursement for any time that service or entity was not in compliance with these rules.

(e) Close proximity means the minimum distance between a hospital and an entity which will produce unduplicated services sufficient to meet the access and service needs of the population being served. The Division shall grant an exception to the close proximity requirement in (b)1 above on a case-by-case basis, if the exception provides access to the service by the population being served where access to the service has been limited. If an exception is granted for a specific service at an entity and that service changes, or the entity changes location, a hospital shall reapply for an exception. Requests for exceptions for entities existing prior to September 15, 1997 shall be sent to the Division in accordance with (c)2 above. A request for an exception for new entities attempting to be reimbursed as a hospital outpatient service after September 15, 1997 shall be sent to the Division in accordance with (c)3 above.

1. The following are examples of when the Division will grant an exception to the close proximity criterion stated in (b)1 above.

i. When access and/or availability to a particular service within a particular geographic area is limited; or

ii. When the availability of transportation to a particular service within a particular geographical area is limited.

(f) If the services provided at the entity are not approved by the Division as an outpatient hospital service, the entity may apply as a provider of another type of service to the Provider Enrollment Unit of the Division or the fiscal agent, as appropriate, consistent with N.J.A.C. 10:49-3 and 4, and the procedures for enrollment as indicated in the appropriate provider services manuals, such as for clinics, in N.J.A.C. 10:66, Independent Clinic Services, or in N.J.A.C. 10:54, Physician Services.

(g) If the hospital is not satisfied with the Division's determination, all appeals shall meet the requirements of the administrative hearing process in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:49-10.3.

N.J. Admin. Code § 10:52-1.3

Amended by 50 N.J.R. 1261(a), effective 5/21/2018