Frequently Asked Questions

When a hospital acquires another hospital, the state should use all available data to determine the UPL and work with CMS to assure appropriate reporting. When a hospital ceases operation, the state should not annualize data if it does not cover a 12-month period.

FAQ ID:92391

Section 1903(i)(7) of the Social Security Act specifies a separate UPL for CDL services which limits payment to no more than the Medicare rate on a per test basis. To meet the statutory provision, the UPL for CDL services must be separately demonstrated from the OPH services UPL. States do not have the ability to "borrow room" from the CDL UPL and apply it to the OPH UPL.

FAQ ID:92401

Unlike the UPLs for other Medicaid institutional payments, which rely on an aggregate approach by ownership category (private, state owned, non state government owned) to ensure Medicaid payments are consistent with efficiency and economy, the PRTF UPL is calculated for each facility. Specifically, the UPL relies on 42 CFR 447.325 which states that Medicaid agencies “may pay the customary charges of the provider but must not pay more than the prevailing charges in the locality for comparable services under comparable circumstances." The plain language meaning of this requirement is that a state may pay a PRTF no more than it charges for covered Medicaid services provided to Medicaid recipients.

FAQ ID:92416

Yes, the state is required to report the number of Medicaid days. This information is recorded at variable 310 – Medicaid days.

FAQ ID:92421

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has permitted states flexibility in establishing processes to identify services provided by advanced practiced clinicians (APCs), including advanced practice nurses, being personally supervised by eligible physicians who accept professional responsibility for the services they provide. The state may set up a separate system to document that an Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) is working under the personal supervision of a particular eligible physician. For example, the eligible physician could identify the APCs to the Medicaid agency, which could flag the claims submitted by those APCs under their own provider numbers through the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS). There is no requirement that the rendering providers indicate on each claim the name of the supervising eligible physicians, however it is important that there be documentation that the eligible physicians have acknowledged their relationship with the advanced practice clinicians. Providing this type of information on a per claim basis is an effective way to document the state's claim for 100 percent federal funding for the increased portion of the payment.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set.

FAQ ID:92106

Technical assistance questions, as well as information about state Medicaid prevention efforts, can be directed to: MedicaidCHIPPrevention@cms.hhs.gov and/or Deirdra Stockmann, 410-786-2433.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set.

FAQ ID:91501

Any retroactive payments made to providers in order to ensure that eligible providers receive the applicable Medicare rate for eligible services will not be considered claims subject to the requirements in 42 CFR 447.46.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 41.01 KB)

FAQ ID:91411

While we recognize that health plans may have unique definitions of primary care providers and services, the availability of the increased Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) is limited to the scope of eligible primary care providers and primary care services as defined in statute and implemented by this rule.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set.

FAQ ID:91416

CMS will be working collaboratively with the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) to develop the contract elements necessary to reflect the requirements of this rule. In recognition of the State Medicaid Agency's role in the contracting practice, CMS will describe the suggested content areas rather than issue standardized contractual language. These elements will be described in further detail in a future (Question and Answer) Q&A document.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set.

FAQ ID:91421

At this time, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is not defining the form of information required under 42 CFR 447.400(d)(1), but we do suggest that states with Medicaid managed care programs conduct a baseline assessment of primary care access before the provision goes into effect. This baseline assessment will ensure that Congress, CMS, and researchers have comparative data to evaluate this provision.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set.

FAQ ID:91426