Section 1044 - Additional requirements for use of the fund(a) For each fiscal year beginning with the initial enactment period, the Department shall make an additional payment, either as a direct disbursement from the Fund or through additional or increased Medicaid reimbursements, to the acute care hospital in an amount equal to the average disproportionate share hospital payment adjustment the hospital received for the 3 years before [the effective date of this Act], less any disproportionate share hospital payment adjustment the hospital remains eligible to receive, if an acute care hospital meets all of the following: (1) The acute care hospital received a disproportionate share hospital payment adjustment for the year before [the effective date of this Act].(2) The acute care hospital continues to meet the requirements to qualify as a disproportionate share hospital under Section 1923(d) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-4(d).(3) The acute care hospital is determined to be ineligible to receive disproportionate share hospital payment adjustment in an amount equal to the average disproportionate share hospital payment adjustment received by the hospital for the 3 years before [the effective date of this Act] due to the limit on the amount of payment to a hospital under Section 1923(g) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-4(g).(b) Before making payments from the Fund under § 1043(a)(1) of this title, the Department shall engage with hospitals to ensure that valid data is used to develop the uniform payment increase under § 1043 of this title. At a minimum, the Department shall do all of the following, as available:(1) Provide hospitals receiving payments with a thorough written description of the methodology used to identify days and discharges.(2) Provide hospitals receiving payments with a thorough written description of the methodology used to attribute days and discharges to the hospitals.(3) Provide hospitals receiving payments with day and discharge counts for the hospitals.(4) Work with hospitals receiving payments, or designated representatives of the hospitals receiving payments, to attempt to identify the source of any discrepancies between data provided under paragraph (b)(3) of this section and internal hospital data.Added by Laws 2023, ch. 476,s 3, eff. 10/1/2024.Section 4 of the enacting legislation provides that this section takes effect on enactment and is to be implemented for fiscal years beginning after June 30, 2025.Section 6 of the enacting legislation provides that the act may be cited as the "Protect Medicaid Act of 2024".