N.J. Admin. Code § 8:85-2.15

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 8, April 15, 2024

Section 8:85-2.15 - Medical supplies and equipment

(a) Medical supplies include incontinency pads, bandages, dressings, compresses, sponges, plasters, tapes, cellu-cotton or other types of pads used to save labor or linen, and other disposable items (for example, colostomy bags), hot water bags, thermometers, catheters, rubber gloves, and supplies required in the administration of medication including disposable syringes. Routinely used medical supplies are considered part of the institution's cost and cannot be billed directly to the program by the supplier.

(b) Equipment for administration of oxygen for residents in a NF is a required service. Oxygen itself must conform to United States Pharmacopoeia Standards in order to be used as a medicinal gas. (United States Pharmacopoeia Convention, 12601 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD 20852.)

(c) Routinely used durable medical equipment ordered for Medicaid beneficiaries in a participating NF (for example, walkers, wheelchairs, bed-rails, crutches, traction apparatus, intermittent positive-pressure breathing (IPPB) machine, electric nebulizers, electric aspirators, low-end pressure relief systems such as mattress overlays and mattress replacements, powered mattress systems and powered flotation beds) and other therapeutic equipment and supplies essential to furnish the services offered by the facility for the care and treatment of its residents shall be considered part of the NF's cost, and shall not be billed directly to the program by the supplier.

(d) When unusual circumstances require special medical equipment not usually found in a NF, such special equipment may be reimbursable, with prior authorization from the Medical Assistance Customer Center (MACC) serving the county where the facility is located.

1. When special medical equipment is authorized and purchased on behalf of a Medicaid beneficiary, ownership of such equipment shall vest in the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS). The beneficiary shall be granted a possessory interest for as long as the beneficiary requires use of the equipment. When the beneficiary no longer needs such equipment, possession and control shall revert to DMAHS. The beneficiary shall agree to this when he or she signs the "patient's certification" section on the claim form. The NF shall notify the MACC in writing when such equipment is no longer in use.

2. Prior authorization requests for special medical equipment shall be accompanied by documentation from the attending physician, the registered professional nurse who has primary responsibility for the beneficiary, and appropriate rehabilitative therapy personnel, which relates the medical necessity for the equipment and describes the extraordinary requirements of the beneficiary.

3. Pressure relief systems shall be reimbursed in a NF under the following conditions:

i. Air Fluidized and Low Air Loss therapy beds, as defined in 8:85-1.2, shall be considered special medical equipment and shall be prior authorized for reimbursement in a NF only when all of the following criteria, indicating medical necessity, are documented by the physician.

(1) The beneficiary has two stage III (full-thickness tissue loss) pressure sores or a stage IV (deep tissue destruction) pressure sore which involves two of the following sites: hips, buttocks, sacrum.

(2) The beneficiary with coexisting risk factors (such as vascular irregularities, nutritional depletion, diabetes or immune suppression) presents post-operatively with a posterior or lateral flap or graft site requiring short-term therapy until the operative site is viable.

(3) The beneficiary is bedridden or chair-bound as a result of severely limited mobility.

(4) The beneficiary is receiving maximal medical/nursing care, prior instituted conservative treatment has been unsuccessful and all other alternative equipment has been considered and ruled out.

(5) The bed is ordered, in writing, by the attending physician based on his or her comprehensive assessment (which includes a physical examination) and evaluation of the beneficiary.

(6) Prior authorization in conditions other than those defined above shall be considered on an individual basis by the MDO.

ii. Air fluidized and low air loss therapy beds shall not be covered for reimbursement in a NF under any of the following circumstances:

(1) As a preventative measure;

(2) After healing to stage II has occurred or wound stability (no significant change or evidence of healing) has been achieved;

(3) If the facility structure cannot support the weight of the bed or the facility electrical system is insufficient for the anticipated increase in energy consumption, air fluidized therapy shall be considered inappropriate. Reimbursement for an air fluidized bed shall be limited to the equipment itself. Payment shall not be made for architectural adjustments such as electrical or structural improvement.

iii. Prior authorization of air fluidized or low air loss therapy beds, if approved, shall be granted for 30 days only. Continued use beyond the initial approval period shall require prior authorization on a monthly basis. The following information shall be submitted to the MACC to obtain prior authorization:

(1) A completed FD-354 prior authorization form;

(2) The physicians' written prescription;

(3) A medical history relating to the wound which includes previous therapy and pressure relief systems utilized and found unsuccessful;

(4) Physician progress notes indicating medical necessity, plan of treatment and evaluation of response to treatment specific to the care of the wound;

(5) The wound care flow sheet documenting weekly the site, size, depth and stage of the wound, noting also the presence and description of drainage or odor;

(6) Laboratory values including a complete blood count and blood chemistries initially and on request thereafter;

(7) A nutritional assessment by a registered dietitian initially on request thereafter; and

(8) Photographs of the site upon permission of the beneficiary/family, after full due consideration is afforded to the beneficiary's right to privacy, dignity and confidentiality.

iv. After treatment with an air fluidized or low air loss therapy bed is initiated, the beneficiary shall:

(1) Be examined by the physician on a monthly basis;

(2) Remain on the therapy unit and be confined to bed, unless medically necessary. While confined to bed, due consideration shall be given to the beneficiary's need for social and sensory stimulation and recreational diversion by providing in-room visitation and social/recreational activities appropriate to the beneficiary's condition; and

(3) Be repositioned on a turning schedule of not less than every two hours.

v. Professional staff from the MACC may, at their discretion, perform an onsite visit to evaluate the beneficiary prior to or after therapy has been instituted. Continued approval shall be contingent upon the facility's compliance with the criteria and conditions defined in (d)3i, ii, iii and iv above and cooperation of the beneficiary to the therapeutic modality.

N.J. Admin. Code § 8:85-2.15

Recodified from N.J.A.C. 10:63-2.15 and amended by R.2005 d.389, effective 1/17/2006.
See: 36 N.J.R. 4700(a), 37 N.J.R. 1185(a), 38 N.J.R. 674(a).
Rewrote the section.