The following information was obtained from the September 17 issue of the Texas Register:
Public Notices
HHSC announced a contract award (529-09-0062-00001) to IBG Management Consulting to assist HHSC with implementation, operational, and strategic planning support with the MEHIS project. Total contract value is $2,634,084.
HHSC will renew the Consultant Contract for Information Technology Negotiation Support Services to continue the services of a single, qualified vendor to provide information, advice, and assistance with proposals in IT negotiations.
HHSC intends to submit Amendment 27 to the CHIP program under Title XXI of the Social Security Act, to provide that federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics receive the full encounter rates for services rendered to CHIP members on or after October 1, 2009.
HHSC will hold a public hearing on October 5, 2010, at 1 p.m. to receive public comment on proposed amendments to the administrative rule at Title 1 Texas Administrative Code §355.8052, based on feedback received about the scheduled implementation of payment rates that would have been effective September 1, 2010. An excerpt:
These rates were intended to comply with the 2010-11 General Appropriations Act (Article II, HHSC, Rider 68, S.B. 1, 81st Legislative, Regular Session, 2009), which required HHSC to rebase acute care hospital rates within available funds (at no additional cost to the State). Specifically, the legislation required HHSC to update the payment division standard dollar amounts (PDSDAs) and diagnosis related group (DRG) factors with more recent cost data. Rider 68 further instructs HHSC to proportionately reduce the rebased PDSDA rates to remain within available funds.
HHSC was scheduled to implement the proportionately reduced rebased PDSDA rates for services provided effective September 1, 2010. After careful review of issues raised by some hospitals, however, including the significant loss of revenue to hospitals in certain geographic regions of the state, HHSC determined that implementing the rebased rates could impact the availability and provision of services, and might endanger the safety net of care in those communities. As a result, HHSC is proposing to amend this rule to limit any hospital’s loss of estimated revenue to 10 percent of the estimated loss if the proportional rebased rates were implemented. In order to achieve the no-cost provision of Rider 68, the rule also outlines an adjustment of the proportional rebased SDAs to limit the amount of revenue gained by positively impacted hospitals.
See the relevant section of the Texas Register for more information about the notices and public hearing.
Proposed Rules
HHSC proposes to amend §355.510, Reimbursement Methodology for Emergency Response Services, and §355.511, Reimbursement Methodology for Home-Delivered Meals, which would update rules to replace outdated references. For details, see the Texas Register.
The Texas Medical Board proposes to amend §175.1, concerning Application Fees, which would eliminate application fees for regular temporary licenses and distinguished professor temporary licenses and add the fee amount for a regular temporary license to the application fee for full licensure, provisional licenses, telemedicine licenses, reissuance of licenses following revocation, and administrative license.
See the Texas Register for more information.
Adopted Rules
The Texas Medical Board adopted amendments to §§172.2, 172.3, 172.5, and 172.16 and new §172.17, concerning Temporary and Limited Licenses. Among other things, the changes add definitions for controlled substances and dangerous drugs, clarify that applicants for a distinguished professor temporary license must complete all provisions of an application for a full license and updates the name of the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, and create a category for visiting physician temporary permits for those who are enrolled in the Texas A&M KSTAR program.
See the Texas Register for details.
The Board also adopted an amendment to §172.12, concerning Out-of-State Telemedicine License, which renames special purpose telemedicine licenses as out-of-state telemedicine licenses and limits the use of this type of license for the interpretation of diagnostic testing and reporting results to a physician fully licensed and located in Texas, or for the follow-up of patients where the majority of patient care was rendered in another state.
See the Texas Register for details.