Iowa Admin. Code r. 441-81.1

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 11, December 11, 2024
Rule 441-81.1 - Definitions

"Abuse" means any of the following which occurs as a result of the willful or negligent acts or omissions of a nursing facility employee:

1. Physical injury to, or injury which is at a variance with the history given of the injury, or unreasonable confinement or unreasonable punishment or assault as defined in Iowa Code section 708.1 of a resident.
2. The commission of a sexual offense under Iowa Code chapter 709 or Iowa Code section 726.2 or 728.12, subsection 1, or sexual exploitation under Iowa Code chapter 235B, as a result of the acts or omissions of the facility employee responsible for the care of the resident with or against a resident.
3. Exploitation of a resident which means the act or process of taking unfair advantage of a resident or the resident's physical or financial resources for one's own personal or pecuniary profit without the informed consent of the resident, including theft, by the use of undue influence, harassment, duress, deception, false representation or false pretenses.
4. The deprivation of the minimum food, shelter, clothing, supervision, physical or mental health care, or other care necessary to maintain a resident's life or health.

"Advance directive" means a written instruction, such as a living will or durable power of attorney for health care, recognized under state law and related to the provision of health care when the resident is incapacitated.

"Allowable costs" means the price a prudent, cost-conscious buyer would pay a willing seller for goods or services in an arm's-length transaction, not to exceed the limitations set out in rules.

"Beginning eligibility date" means date of an individual's admission to the facility or date of eligibility for medical assistance, whichever is the later date.

"Case mix" means a measure of the intensity of care and services used by similar residents in a facility.

"Case-mix index" means a numeric score within a specific range that identifies the relative resources used by similar residents and represents the average resource consumption across a population or sample.

"Civil penalty" shall mean a civil money penalty not to exceed the amount authorized under Iowa Code section 135C.36 for health care facility violations.

"Clinical experience" means application or learned skills for direct resident care in a nursing facility.

"Clock hour" means 60 minutes.

"Complete replacement" means completed construction on a new nursing facility to replace an existing licensed and certified nursing facility. The replacement facility shall have no more licensed beds than the facility being replaced and shall be located either in the same county as the facility being replaced or within 30 miles from the facility being replaced.

"Cost normalization" refers to the process of removing cost variations associated with different levels of resident case mix. Normalized cost is determined by dividing a facility's per diem direct care component costs by the facility cost report period case-mix index.

"Denial of critical care" is a pattern of care in which the resident's basic needs are denied or ignored to such an extent that there is imminent or potential danger of the resident suffering injury or death, or is a denial of, or a failure to provide the mental health care necessary to adequately treat the resident's serious social maladjustment, or is a gross failure of the facility employee to meet the emotional needs of the resident necessary for normal functioning, or is a failure of the facility employee to provide for the proper supervision of the resident.

"Department" means the Iowa department of human services.

"Direct care component" means the portion of the Medicaid reimbursement rates that is attributable to the salaries and benefits of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, rehabilitation nurses, and contracted nursing services. "Direct care component" also includes costs related to therapy services provided to residents during inpatient stays and not billed as an outpatient service.

"Discharged resident" means a resident whose accounts and records have been closed out and whose personal effects have been taken from the facility. When a resident is discharged, the facility shall notify the department via Form 470-0042, Case Activity Report.

"Facility" means a licensed nursing facility certified in accordance with the provisions of 42 CFR 483.5 as amended to December 4, 2017, to provide health services and includes hospital-based nursing facilities that are Medicare-certified and provide only skilled level of care and swing-bed hospitals unless stated otherwise.

"Facility-based nurse aide training program" means a nurse aide training program that is offered by a nursing facility and taught by facility employees or under the control of the licensee.

"Facility cost report period case-mix index" is the average of quarterly facility wide average case-mix indices, carried to four decimal places. The quarters used in this average will be the quarters that most closely coincide with the financial and statistical reporting period. For example, a 01/01/2000-12/31/2000 financial and statistical reporting period would use the facility wide average case-mix indices for quarters ending 03/31/00, 06/30/00, 09/30/00 and 12/31/00.

"Facility wide average case-mix index" is the simple average, carried to four decimal places, of all resident case-mix indices based on the last day of each calendar quarter.

"Informed consent" means a resident's agreement to allow something to happen that is based on a full disclosure of known facts and circumstances needed to make the decision intelligently, i.e., with knowledge of the risks involved or alternatives.

"Iowa Medicaid enterprise" means the entity comprised of department staff and contractors responsible for the management and reimbursement of Medicaid services.

"Laboratory experience" means practicing care-giving skills prior to contact in the clinical setting.

"Level I review" means screening to identify persons suspected of having mental illness or intellectual disability as defined in 42 CFR 483.102 as amended to July 1, 2014.

"Level II review" means the evaluation of a person identified in a Level I review to determine whether nursing facility services and specialized services are needed.

"Major renovations" means new construction or facility improvements to an existing licensed and certified nursing facility in which the total depreciable asset value of the new construction or facility improvements exceeds $750,000. The $750,000 threshold shall be calculated based on the total depreciable asset value of new construction or facility improvements placed into service during a two-year period ending on the date the last asset was placed into service. When the property costs of an asset have been included in a facility's financial and statistical report that has already been used in a biennial rebasing, the costs of that asset shall not be considered in determining whether the facility meets the $750,000 threshold.

"Managed care organization" means an entity that (1) is under contract with the department to provide services to Medicaid recipients and (2) meets the definition of "health maintenance organization" as defined in Iowa Code section 514B.1.

"Medicaid average case-mix index" is the simple average, carried to four decimal places, of all resident case-mix indices where Medicaid is known to be the per diem payor source on the last day of the calendar quarter.

"Minimum data set" or "MDS" refers to a federally required resident assessment tool. Information from the MDS is used by the department to determine the facility's case-mix index for purposes of normalizing per diem allowable direct care costs as provided by paragraph 81.6(16)"b," for determining the Medicaid average case-mix index to adjust the direct care component pursuant to paragraphs 81.6(16)"c" and "e," the excess payment allowance pursuant to paragraph 81.6(16)"d," and the limits on reimbursement components pursuant to paragraph 81.6(16)"f." MDS is described in subrule 81.13(9).

"Minimum food, shelter, clothing, supervision, physical or mental health care, or other care" means that food, shelter, clothing, supervision, physical or mental health care, or other care which, if not provided, would constitute denial of critical care.

"Mistreatment" means any intentional act, or threat of an act, coupled with the apparent ability to execute the act, which causes or puts another person in fear of mental anguish, humiliation, deprivation or physical contact which is or will be painful, insulting or offensive. Actions utilized in providing necessary treatment or care in accordance with accepted standards of practice are not considered mistreatment.

"New construction" means the construction of a new nursing facility that does not replace an existing licensed and certified facility and that requires the provider to obtain a certificate of need pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 135, division VI.

"Non-direct care component" means the portion of Medicaid reimbursement rates attributable to administrative, environmental, property, and support care costs reported on the financial and statistical report.

"Non-facility-based nurse aide training program" means a nurse aide training program that is offered by an organization that is not licensed to provide nursing facility services.

"Non-state government owned nursing facility" or "NSGO nursing facility" is a nursing facility owned by a governmental entity that is not the state.

"Nurse aide" means any individual who is not a licensed health professional or volunteer providing nursing or nursing-related services to residents in a nursing facility.

"Nurse aide registry" means Nurse Aide Registry, Department of Inspections and Appeals, Third Floor, Lucas State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.

"Nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs (NATCEP)" are educational programs approved by the department of inspections and appeals for nurse aide training as designated in subrule 81.16(3).

"Nursing facility level of care" means that the following conditions are met:

1. The presence of a physical or mental impairment which restricts the member's daily ability to perform the essential activities of daily living, bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene, and impedes the member's capacity to live independently.
2. The member's physical or mental impairment is such that self-execution of required nursing care is improbable or impossible.

"PASRR" means a Level I screening or a Level II evaluation for mental illness or intellectual disability for all persons who live in or seek entry to a Medicaid-certified nursing facility, as required by 42 CFR Part 483 , Subpart C, as amended to July 1, 2014.

"Patient-day-weighted median cost" means the per diem cost of the nursing facility that is at the median per diem cost of all nursing facilities based on patient days provided when per diem allowable costs are ranked from low to high. A separate patient-day-weighted median cost amount shall be determined for the direct care and non-direct care components.

"Physical abuse" means any nonaccidental physical injury, or injury which is at variance with the history given of it, suffered by a resident as the result of the acts or omissions of a person responsible for the care of the resident.

"Physical injury" means damage to any bodily tissue to the extent that the tissue must undergo a healing process in order to be restored to a sound and healthy condition, or damage to any bodily tissue to the extent that the tissue cannot be restored to a sound and healthy condition, or damage to any bodily tissue which results in the death of the person who has sustained the damage.

"Poor performing facility (PPF)" is a facility designated by the department of inspections and appeals as a poor performing facility (PPF) based on surveys conducted by the department of inspections and appeals pursuant to subrule 81.13(1). A facility shall be designated a PPF if it has been cited for substandard quality of care on the current standard survey and it:

1. Has been cited for substandard quality of care or immediate jeopardy on at least one of the previous two standard surveys;
2. Has a history of substantiated complaints during the last two years;
3. Has a current deficiency for not having a quality assurance program; or
4. Does not have an effective quality assurance program as defined in paragraph 81.13(19)"o."

"Primary instructor" means a registered nurse responsible for teaching a state-approved nurse aide training course.

"Program coordinator" means a registered nurse responsible for administrative aspects of a state-approved nurse aide training course.

"Rate determination letter" means the letter that is distributed quarterly by the Iowa Medicaid enterprise to each nursing facility notifying the facility of the facility's Medicaid reimbursement rate calculated in accordance with this rule and of the effective date of the reimbursement rate.

"Skilled nursing facility level of care" means that the following conditions are met:

1. The member's medical condition requires skilled nursing services or skilled rehabilitation services as defined in 42 CFR 409.31(a), 409.32, and 409.34.
2. Services are provided in accordance with the general provisions for all Medicaid providers and services as described in rule 441-79.9 (249A).
3. Documentation submitted for review indicates that the member has:
a. A physician order for all skilled services.
b. Services that require the skills of medical personnel, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, or audiologists.
c. An individualized care plan that identifies support needs.
d. Confirmation that skilled services are provided to the member.
e. Skilled services that are provided by, or under the supervision of, medical personnel as described above.
f. Skilled nursing services that are needed and provided seven days a week or skilled rehabilitation services that are needed and provided at least five days a week.

"Skills performance record" means a record of major duties and skills taught which consists of, at a minimum:

1. A listing of the duties and skills expected to be learned in the program.
2. Space to record the date when the aide performs the duty or skill.
3. Space to note satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance.
4. The signature of the instructor supervising the performance.

"Special population nursing facility" refers to a nursing facility that serves the following populations:

1. One hundred percent of the residents served are aged 30 and under and require the skilled level of care.
2. Seventy percent of the residents served require the skilled level of care for neurological disorders.
3. One hundred percent of the residents require care from a facility licensed by the department of inspections and appeals as an intermediate care facility for persons with mental illness.
4. One hundred percent of the residents require care from a facility licensed by the department of inspections and appeals as an intermediate care facility for persons with medical complexity.

"Surgical or other invasive procedure" means an operative procedure in which skin or mucous membranes and connective tissue are incised or an instrument is introduced through a natural body orifice. Surgical or other invasive procedures include a range of procedures from minimally invasive dermatological procedures (biopsy, excision, and deep cryotherapy for malignant lesions) to extensive multiorgan transplantation. Surgical or other invasive procedures include all procedures described by the codes in the surgery section of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) published by the American Medical Association and other invasive procedures such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and cardiac catheterization. Surgical or other invasive procedures include minimally invasive procedures involving biopsies or placement of probes or catheters requiring the entry into a body cavity through a needle or trocar. "Surgical or other invasive procedure" does not include use of instruments such as otoscopes for examinations or very minor procedures such as drawing blood.

"Terminated from the Medicare or Medicaid program" means a facility has lost the final appeal to which it is entitled.

"Testing entity" means a person, agency, institution, or facility approved by the department of inspections and appeals to take responsibility for obtaining, keeping secure and administering the competency test and reporting nurse aide scores to the nurse aide registry.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code sections 249A.2(6), 249A.3(2)"a," and 249A.4.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 441-81.1

ARC 8445B, IAB 1/13/10, effective 12/11/09; ARC 9726B, IAB 9/7/11, effective 9/1/11; ARC 9888B, IAB 11/30/11, effective 1/4/12; ARC 0994C, IAB 9/4/2013, effective 11/1/2013
Amended by IAB January 7, 2015/Volume XXXVII, Number 14, effective 3/1/2015
Amended by IAB January 06, 2016/Volume XXXVIII, Number 14, effective 1/1/2016
Amended by IAB March 28, 2018/Volume XL, Number 20, effective 7/1/2018
Amended by IAB October 10, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 8, effective 9/12/2018
Amended by IAB March 8, 2023/Volume XLV, Number 18, effective 5/1/2023