Senate Bill No. 302–Committee on Human
Resources and Facilities

 

March 8, 2001

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Revises certain provisions governing payment of hospital for serving disproportionately large share of low-income patients. (BDR 40‑962)

 

FISCAL NOTE:            Effect on Local Government: Yes.

                                    Effect on the State: No.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to the provision of health care; revising the method for determining whether a hospital qualifies for certain payments for serving a disproportionately large share of low-income patients; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1    Section 1.  NRS 439B.330 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2    439B.330  1.  Except as otherwise provided in NRS 439B.300 and

1-3  subsection 2 of this section, each county shall use the definition of

1-4  “indigent” in NRS 439B.310 to determine a person’s eligibility for medical

1-5  assistance pursuant to chapter 428 of NRS, other than assistance provided

1-6  pursuant to NRS 428.115 to 428.255, inclusive.

1-7    2.  A board of county commissioners may, if it determines that a

1-8  hospital within the county [is serving a disproportionately large share of

1-9  low-income patients:] has been designated by the Federal Government as

1-10  a disproportionate share hospital for purposes of Medicare:

1-11    (a) Pay a higher rate to the hospital for the treatment of indigent

1-12  inpatients;

1-13    (b) Pay the hospital for the treatment of indigent inpatients whom the

1-14  hospital would otherwise be required to treat without receiving

1-15  compensation from the county; or

1-16    (c) Both pay at a higher rate and pay for inpatients for whom the

1-17  hospital would otherwise be uncompensated.

1-18    3.  Each hospital which treats an indigent inpatient shall submit to the

1-19  board of county commissioners of the county of residence of the patient a

1-20  discharge form identifying the patient as a possible indigent and containing

2-1  the information required by the department and the county to be included

2-2  in all such forms.

2-3    4.  The county which receives a discharge form from a hospital for an

2-4  indigent inpatient shall verify the status of the patient and the amount

2-5  which the hospital is entitled to receive. A hospital aggrieved by a

2-6  determination of a county regarding the indigent status of an inpatient may

2-7  appeal the determination to the director or a person designated by the

2-8  director to hear such an appeal. The decision of the director or the person

2-9  he designates must be mailed by registered or certified mail to the county

2-10  and the hospital. The decision of the director or the person he designates

2-11  may be appealed to a court having general jurisdiction in the county within

2-12  15 days after the date of the postmark on the envelope in which the

2-13  decision was mailed.

2-14    5.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 of this section and

2-15  subsection 3 of NRS 439B.320, if the county is the county of residence of

2-16  the patient and the patient is indigent, the county shall pay to the hospital

2-17  the amount required, within the limits of money which may lawfully be

2-18  appropriated for this purpose pursuant to NRS 428.050, 428.285 and

2-19  450.425.

2-20    6.  For the purposes of this section, the county of residence of the

2-21  patient is the county of residence of that person before he was admitted to

2-22  the hospital.

2-23    Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2001.

 

2-24  H