N.J. Admin. Code § 8:85-1.14

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 8:85-1.14 - Absence from facility due to hospital admission or therapeutic leave; bed reserve

(a) The bed reserve policy for hospital admissions is as follows:

1. The NF shall reserve and hold the same room and the same bed of the Medicaid beneficiary transferred to a general or psychiatric hospital for a period not to exceed 10 days. The NF shall determine the individual's status or whereabouts during or after the 10-day bed reserve period.

i. If the resident is not readmitted to the same room or the same bed or the same NF during a bed reserve period, the NF requesting bed reserve reimbursement shall record on the resident's chart and make available for Department review, a justification for the action taken. Pending outcome of the Department's review, the facility may be subject to forfeiture of bed reserve reimbursement.

ii. Said reserved bed shall remain empty and shall not be occupied by another individual during the bed reserve period, unless authorized by the Department.

2. Reimbursement, not to exceed 10 days, shall be at 50 percent of the rate the NF received prior to the transfer to the hospital.

i. The beneficiary's available monthly income shall be applied against the per diem cost of care.

ii. Medicaid reimbursement for bed reserve will not be made to a NF when the NF per diem payment for a "Medicaid eligible beneficiary" is being made by a third party insurer.

3. If readmission to the NF does not occur until after the 10-day bed reserve period, the next available bed shall be given to the Medicaid beneficiary. The beneficiary's name shall be placed on the chronological listing of persons waiting admission/readmission to the NF, and the beneficiary waiting for readmission shall have priority for the next available bed in the facility.

4. The bed reserve policy applies to any person in the NF eligible to receive Medicaid benefits; for example, a Medicare/Medicaid beneficiary who, at the time of transfer to the hospital, might be eligible for long-term care services under Medicare benefits.

5. Admission procedures (see 8:85-1.8 ) shall be followed when the Medicaid beneficiary has been readmitted following a period of hospitalization.

(b) Requirements concerning absence due to therapeutic leave are as follows:

1. The New Jersey Medicaid program will reimburse NFs their per diem rate for reserving beds for Medicaid beneficiaries who are absent from the facility on therapeutic leave up to a maximum of 24 days annually. For this purpose, annually is defined as a calendar year beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31. Further, no portion of unused leave days may be carried over into the next calendar year. The facility shall maintain accurate leave day records on the Medicaid beneficiary's chart, for review by the Department.

2. A therapeutic leave shall include therapeutic or rehabilitative home and community visits with relatives and friends. Home visits shall be limited to therapeutic home visits only and shall not include hospital visits.

3. The absence of a Medicaid beneficiary from the facility for the purpose of therapeutic leave shall be authorized in writing by the beneficiary's attending physician and shall be included in the beneficiary's plan of care.

4. In those instances where a beneficiary is in more than one NF within a calendar year, the receiving facility shall determine the number of therapeutic leave days that have been allowed for payment by the sending facility within the same calendar year. A record of any leave days shall be a part of the information provided on the Patient Information Transfer Form.

5. The facility shall reserve and hold the same room and bed for the Medicaid beneficiary on a therapeutic home visit. Said bed shall not be occupied by another individual during the period of time in which the Medicaid beneficiary is on such leave.

6. Where a beneficiary's condition or situation requires more than 24 therapeutic leave days annually, as determined by the beneficiary's attending physician, prior authorization for the additional days shall be obtained from the LTCFO. The request for prior authorization shall be submitted in writing to the LTCFO Field Office Manager, over the signature of the attending physician. A facility shall be reimbursed its per diem rate for reserving a bed for a Medicaid beneficiary for any additional days so authorized.

N.J. Admin. Code § 8:85-1.14

Amended by R.1997 d.231, effective 6/2/1997.
See: 29 N.J.R. 861(a), 29 N.J.R. 2561(b).
In (a)2, substituted "Effective 7/1/1996, reimbursement" for "Reimbursement", and inserted "90 percent of".
Recodified from N.J.A.C. 10:63-1.14 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.