74.60.050 - Administration and collection.

Administration and collection. (Expires July 1, 2013.)

(1) The department, in cooperation with the office of financial management, shall develop rules for determining the amount to be assessed to individual hospitals, notifying individual hospitals of the assessed amount, and collecting the amounts due. Such rule making shall specifically include provision for:

     (a) Transmittal of quarterly notices of assessment by the department to each hospital informing the hospital of its nonmedicare hospital inpatient days and the assessment amount due and payable. Such quarterly notices shall be sent to each hospital at least thirty calendar days prior to the due date for the quarterly assessment payment.

     (b) Interest on delinquent assessments at the rate specified in RCW 82.32.050.

     (c) Adjustment of the assessment amounts as follows:

     (i) For each fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, the assessment amounts under RCW 74.60.030 (1) and (3) may be adjusted as follows:

     (A) If sufficient other funds for hospitals, excluding any extension of section 5001 of P.L. No. 111-5, are available to support the reimbursement rates and other payments under RCW 74.60.080, 74.60.090, 74.60.100, 74.60.110, or 74.60.120 without utilizing the full assessment authorized under RCW 74.60.030 (1) or (3), the department shall reduce the amount of the assessment for prospective payment system, psychiatric, and rehabilitation hospitals proportionately to the minimum level necessary to support those reimbursement rates and other payments.

     (B) Provided that none of the conditions set forth in RCW 74.60.150(2) have occurred, if the department's forecasts indicate that the assessment amounts under RCW 74.60.030 (1) and (3), together with all other available funds, are not sufficient to support the reimbursement rates and other payments under RCW 74.60.080, 74.60.090, 74.60.100, 74.60.110, or 74.60.120, the department shall increase the assessment rates for prospective payment system, psychiatric, and rehabilitation hospitals proportionately to the amount necessary to support those reimbursement rates and other payments, plus a contingency factor up to ten percent of the total assessment amount.

     (C) Any positive balance remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall be applied to reduce the assessment amount for the subsequent fiscal year.

     (ii) Any adjustment to the assessment amounts pursuant to this subsection, and the data supporting such adjustment, including but not limited to relevant data listed in subsection (2) of this section, must be submitted to the Washington state hospital association for review and comment at least sixty calendar days prior to implementation of such adjusted assessment amounts. Any review and comment provided by the Washington state hospital association shall not limit the ability of the Washington state hospital association or its members to challenge an adjustment or other action by the department that is not made in accordance with this chapter.

     (2) By November 30th of each year, the department shall provide the following data to the Washington state hospital association:

     (a) The fund balance;

     (b) The amount of assessment paid by each hospital;

     (c) The annual medicaid fee-for-service payments for inpatient hospital services and outpatient hospital services; and

     (d) The medicaid healthy options inpatient and outpatient payments as reported by all hospitals to the department on disproportionate share hospital applications. The department shall amend the disproportionate share hospital application and reporting instructions as needed to ensure that the foregoing data is reported by all hospitals as needed in order to comply with this subsection (2)(d).

     (3) The department shall determine the number of nonmedicare hospital inpatient days for each hospital for each assessment period.

     (4) To the extent necessary, the department shall amend the contracts between the managed care organizations and the department and between regional support networks and the department to incorporate the provisions of RCW 74.60.120. The department shall pursue amendments to the contracts as soon as possible after April 27, 2010. The amendments to the contracts shall, among other provisions, provide for increased payment rates to managed care organizations in accordance with RCW 74.60.120.

[2010 1st sp.s. c 30 § 6.]