Bill Text: CA AB2836 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Medi-Cal: emergency medical transportation services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-05 - Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. [AB2836 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB2836-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Assembly  May 04, 2020

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2836


Introduced by Assembly Member Chen

February 20, 2020


An act to amend Section Sections 14105.945, 14129, 14129.2, 14129.3, and 14129.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2836, as amended, Chen. Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transportation Reimbursement Act. Medi-Cal: emergency medical transportation services.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. services, including emergency medical transportation services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing
Existing law authorizes a Medi-Cal provider of ground emergency medical transportation services that is owned or operated by specified entities, including a fire protection district or a federally recognized Indian tribe, to receive supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement in addition to the rate of payment the eligible provider would otherwise receive for those services. Existing law requires the department to develop a modified supplemental reimbursement program that would seek to increase the reimbursement to those eligible providers, and requires the nonfederal share of any supplemental reimbursement provided under the modified program to be derived from voluntary intergovernmental transfers of local funds.
Existing law requires the department to implement, no sooner than July 1, 2021, the Public Provider Intergovernmental Transfer Program (program), for the duration of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period, and authorizes the department to continue conducting any administrative duties related to the above-specified supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement. Existing law requires an eligible provider, defined, in part, as a provider of emergency medical transport, to receive an add-on increase to the associated Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule, and requires the department to develop the add-on increase pursuant to specified standards, including an eligible provider’s average cost directly associated with providing a Medi-Cal emergency medical transport under the Medi-Cal program.
Existing law, the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transportation Reimbursement Act, commencing July 1, 2018, and subject to federal approval and the availability of federal financial participation, imposes a quality assurance fee for each emergency medical transport provided by an emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee in accordance with a prescribed methodology. Existing law authorizes the department to implement provisions of the act by various means, including provider bulletins, and requires the department to make use of appropriate processes to ensure that stakeholders are timely informed of, and have access to, guidance. Existing law exempts an eligible provider from the quality assurance fee and add-on increase for the duration of any Medi-Cal managed care rating during which the program is implemented. Existing law requires each applicable Medi-Cal managed care health plan to satisfy a specified obligation for emergency medical transports and to provide payment to noncontract emergency medical transport providers, and provides that this provision does not apply to an eligible provider who provides noncontract emergency medical transports to an enrollee of a Medi-Cal managed care plan during any Medi-Cal managed care rating period that the program is implemented.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

The bill would provide that during the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period for which the program is implemented an eligible provider shall not be an emergency medical transport provider, as defined, who is subject to a quality assurance fee or eligible for the add-on increase, and would provide that the program’s provisions do not affect the application of the specified add-on to any payment to a nonpublic emergency medical transport provider. The bill would redefine “emergency medical transport provider” to mean any provider of emergency medical transports, except during the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period for which the program is implemented, in whole or in part, that excludes any public provider of emergency medical transports, including any provider who meets prescribed requirements. With respect to the quality assurance fee, commencing in the 2021–22 fiscal year, and for each state fiscal year thereafter, the bill would require the Director of Health Care Services to comply with specified requirements, including calculating the annual quality assurance fee applicable to a specified program period at least 150 days before the start of the state fiscal year, and would make conforming changes. The bill would delete the above-specified limitation on the provision relating to Medi-Cal managed care health plans and their obligation to provide emergency medical transports and payment to noncontract providers.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 14105.945 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

14105.945.
 (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Eligible provider” means a provider who is eligible for reimbursement of Medi-Cal emergency medical transports pursuant to this section, and who continually meets all of the following requirements during the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period that this section is implemented:
(A) Provides emergency medical transports to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
(B) Is enrolled as a Medi-Cal provider for the period being claimed.
(C) Is owned or operated by the state, a city, county, city and county, fire protection district organized pursuant to Part 2.7 (commencing with Section 13800) of Division 12 of the Health and Safety Code, special district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 58000) of Division 1 of Title 6 of the Government Code, community services district organized pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 61000) of Division 3 of Title 6 of the Government Code, health care district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 32000) of Division 23 of the Health and Safety Code, or a federally recognized Indian tribe.
(2) (A) “Emergency medical transport” means the act of transporting an individual from any point of origin to the nearest medical facility capable of meeting the emergency medical needs of the patient by an ambulance licensed, operated, and equipped in accordance with applicable state or local statutes, ordinances, or regulations that are billed with billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0434 Specialty Care Transport, A0225 Neonatal Emergency Transport, A0427 ALS Emergency, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes, as may be determined by the director.
(B) “Emergency medical transport” shall not include excludes transportation of beneficiaries by passenger car, taxicab, litter van, wheelchair van, or other forms of public or private conveyances, nor shall it include and transportation by an air ambulance provider. An “emergency medical transport” does not occur if a transport is not provided following evaluation of a patient.
(3) “Medi-Cal managed care rating period” means a period selected by the department for which the actuarially sound capitation rates are developed and documented in the rate certification that the department submits to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as required by Section 438.7(a) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(b) (1) Commencing no sooner than July 1, 2021, the department shall implement the Public Provider Intergovernmental Transfer Program (program) pursuant to this section for any Medi-Cal managed care rating period that the department has obtained necessary federal approvals.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law, during the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period for which the requirements of this section are implemented, in whole or in part, supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursements described in Section 14105.94 shall become inoperative.
(c) To the extent authorized under federal and state law, an eligible provider shall receive increased reimbursement by application of an add-on increase, as determined pursuant to subdivision (d), to the associated Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule for emergency medical transports provided to applicable Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
(d) The department shall develop the statewide add-on increase to be provided under the program as follows:
(1) The department shall determine an initial statewide add-on increase that is based on the most recent audited cost reports of eligible providers available at the time the add-on increase is developed, as determined by the department. In determining the initial statewide add-on increase, the department may make adjustments to account for inflation, trend, or other material changes, as appropriate under federal law and actuarial standards.
(2) The initial statewide add-on increase shall represent the difference between both of the following:
(A) The average reimbursement paid pursuant to the applicable base Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment fee schedule for an emergency medical transport during the time period of the applicable cost-report to an eligible provider, and weighted according to those services provided by all eligible providers during the applicable time period.
(B) The average cost directly associated with providing a Medi-Cal emergency medical transport under the Medi-Cal program by an eligible provider during the time period of the applicable cost-report, as determined based on all eligible providers’ audited cost reports pursuant to paragraph (1), and weighted according to those services provided by all eligible providers during the applicable time period.
(3) For subsequent Medi-Cal managed care rating periods, the department, in consultation with participating eligible providers, and as determined by the department, may adjust periodically the initial statewide add-on increase to account for inflation, trend adjustments, or other material changes, as appropriate under federal law and actuarial standards.
(4) To the extent that the department deems practicable, the department shall set a schedule for determining the statewide add-on increase before the department submits to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services actuarially sound Medi-Cal managed care rates for an applicable Medi-Cal managed care rating period pursuant to subdivision (e).
(5) Once the department determines the add-on increase for a Medi-Cal managed care rating period, the add-on increase shall not be modified for that rating period unless the modification is required for purposes of receiving federal approval or claiming federal financial participation for the requirements of this section.
(e) (1) A Medi-Cal managed care health plan shall satisfy its obligation under Section 438.114(c) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations for emergency medical transport, and shall provide payment to any applicable noncontract emergency medical transport providers provider consistent with Section 1396u-2(b)(2)(D) of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(2) During the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period that this section is implemented, the amounts a noncontract eligible provider may collect if a Medi-Cal beneficiary received medical assistance other than through enrollment in a Medi-Cal managed care health plan pursuant to Section 1396u-2(b)(2)(D) of Title 42 of the United States Code shall be the resulting Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule amounts after the application of the add-on increase described in this section. During the Medi-Cal managed care rating period that the requirements of this section are implemented, any reimbursement to a noncontract emergency medical transport provider that is not an eligible provider shall be made in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 14129.3.
(3) This section shall not affect the application of Section 14129.3 on any payment to a nonpublic emergency medical transport provider, as defined in subdivision (i) of Section 14129.
(f) The Medi-Cal reimbursement provided by this section shall be distributed exclusively to any eligible providers provider under a payment methodology based on emergency medical transport provided to Medi-Cal beneficiaries by eligible providers on a per-transport basis or other federally permissible basis.
(g) During the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period that this section is implemented, in whole or in part, the department shall provide appropriate funding to each applicable Medi-Cal managed care plan to account for the add-on increase obligations of these plans pursuant to this section in federally approved risk based capitation rates developed in accordance with Section 14301.1.
(h) (1) For any Medi-Cal managed care rating period that this section is implemented, the nonfederal share, which is associated with the add-on increase as it applies to the Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule and the portion of the risk-based capitation rate to Medi-Cal managed care health plans, may consist of voluntary intergovernmental transfers of funds provided by eligible providers and their affiliated governmental entities or other public entities pursuant to Section 14164, as applicable. Upon providing any intergovernmental transfer of funds, each transferring entity shall certify, in the form and manner specified by the department, that the transferred funds qualify for federal financial participation pursuant to applicable laws relating to the federal Medicaid program. Any intergovernmental transfer of funds made pursuant to this section shall be voluntary for purposes of federal law.
(2) The department shall assess a 10-percent fee on each transfer of public funds to the state pursuant to this subdivision to pay for health care coverage and to reimburse the department for its costs associated with administering the program. Excluding this fee, the department shall not assess a percentage fee in connection with any intergovernmental transfer of funds made pursuant to this subdivision.
(3) The department shall develop and maintain, in consultation with participating eligible providers, a protocol and schedule for funding the nonfederal share of expenditures during a Medi-Cal managed care rating period that this section is implemented using voluntary intergovernmental transfers.
(4) This section does not limit or otherwise alter any existing authority of the department to accept intergovernmental transfers for purposes of funding the nonfederal share of expenditures in the Medi-Cal program.
(i) During the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period for which this section is implemented, in whole or in part, an eligible provider shall be exempt from exclude an emergency medical transport provider, as defined in subdivision (i) of Section 14129, who is subject to the quality assurance fee and or eligible for the add-on increase pursuant to Article 3.91 (commencing with Section 14129).
(j) This section shall cease to be operative on the first day of the Medi-Cal managed care rating period beginning on or after the date the department determines, after consultation with participating eligible providers, that implementation of this section is no longer financially and programmatically supportive of the Medi-Cal program. The department shall make this determination if the projected amount of nonfederal share funds available for an applicable Medi-Cal managed care rating period is insufficient to support implementation of this section in the subject Medi-Cal managed care rating period. The department shall post notice of the determination on its internet website.
(k) The director may modify any process or methodology specified in this section to the extent necessary to comply with state or federal law or regulations, or to secure or maintain federal approval or federal financial participation. If the director determines, after consulting with participating eligible providers, that a modification to the process or methodology is necessary, the director shall execute a declaration stating that this determination has been made and describing the modification. The director shall retain the declaration and provide a copy, within five working days of the execution of the declaration, to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature. The director shall post the declaration on the department’s internet website.
(l) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this section, in whole or in part, by means of all-county letters, provider bulletins, plan letters, or other similar instructions without taking regulatory action.
(m) (1) The department shall implement this section only to the extent that federal financial participation is available and any necessary federal approvals are obtained.
(2) The department shall promptly seek any necessary federal approvals for the implementation of this section for an applicable Medi-Cal managed care rating period.

SEC. 2.

 Section 14129 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

14129.
 For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Annual quality assurance fee rate” means the quality assurance fee assessed on each emergency medical transport during each applicable state fiscal year.
(b) “Aggregate fee schedule amount” means the product of the fee-for-service add-on increase described in Section 14129.3 and the Medi-Cal emergency medical transports, including both fee-for-service transports paid by the department and managed care transports paid by Medi-Cal managed care health plans, utilizing the billing codes for emergency medical transport for the state fiscal year.
(c) “Available fee amount” shall be calculated as the sum of both of the following:
(1) The amount deposited in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund established under subdivision (f) of Section 14129.2 during the applicable state fiscal year, less the amounts described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 14129.2.
(2) Any federal financial participation obtained as a result of the deposit of the amount described in paragraph (1) in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, created pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 14129.2, for the applicable state fiscal year.
(d) “Department” means the State Department of Health Care Services.
(e) “Director” means the Director of Health Care Services.
(f) “Effective state medical assistance percentage” means a ratio of the aggregate expenditures from state-only sources for the Medi-Cal program divided by the aggregate expenditures from state and federal sources for the Medi-Cal program for a state fiscal year.
(g) “Emergency medical transport” means the act of transporting an individual from any point of origin to the nearest medical facility capable of meeting the emergency medical needs of the patient by an emergency medical transport provider by means of an ambulance licensed, operated, and equipped in accordance with applicable state or local statutes, ordinances, or regulations that are billed with billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0427 ALS Emergency, A0434 Specialty Care Transport, A0225 Neonatal Emergency Transport, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director. “Emergency medical transport” excludes transportation of beneficiaries by passenger car, taxicabs, litter vans, wheelchair vans, other forms of public or private conveyances, and transportation by an air ambulance provider. An “emergency medical transport” does not occur when, following evaluation of a patient, a transport is not provided.
(h) “Gross receipts” means gross payments received as patient care revenue for emergency medical transports, determined on a cash basis of accounting. “Gross receipts” includes all payments received as patient care revenue for emergency medical transports, including payments for billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0427 ALS Emergency, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director, and any other ancillary billing codes associated with emergency medical transport as may be determined by the director. “Gross receipts” excludes supplemental amounts received pursuant to Sections 14105.94 or 14105.945.
(i) “Emergency medical transport provider” means any provider of emergency medical transports, except that during the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period for which Section 14105.945 is implemented implemented, in whole or in part, “emergency medical transport provider” shall exclude “eligible providers” as defined in excludes any public provider of emergency medical transports, including, without limitation, any provider who meets all of the requirements specified in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14105.945 for purposes of this article.
(j) “Emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee” means all any emergency medical transport providers who bill and receive provider who bills and receives patient care revenue from the provision of emergency medical transports, except an emergency medical transport providers that are provider that is exempt pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14129.6.
(k) “Medi-Cal managed care health plan” means a “managed health care plan” as that term is defined in subdivision (ab) of Section 14169.51.

SEC. 3.

 Section 14129.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

14129.2.
 (a) (1) Commencing with the state fiscal quarter beginning on July 1, 2018, and continuing each state fiscal quarter thereafter for which this article is implemented, there shall be imposed a quality assurance fee for each emergency medical transport provided by each emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee in accordance with this section.
(2) The director shall ensure that the quality assurance fee per emergency medical transport imposed pursuant to this article is collected.
(b) (1) On or before June 15, 2018, and continuing each June 15 thereafter for which this article is implemented, the director shall calculate the annual quality assurance fee rate applicable to the following state fiscal year based on the most recently collected data from emergency medical transport providers pursuant to Section 14129.1. The director may correct any identified material or significant errors in the data collected from emergency medical transport providers pursuant to Section 14129.1 for the purposes of calculating the annual quality assurance fee rate. The director’s determination whether to exercise his or her their discretion to correct any data pursuant to this paragraph shall not be subject to judicial review, except that an emergency medical transport provider may bring a writ of mandate under Section 1085 of the Code of Civil Procedure to rectify an abuse of discretion by the director in correcting that emergency medical transport provider’s data when that correction results in a greater fee amount for that provider pursuant to this section.
(A) For the state fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2018, the annual quality assurance fee rate shall be calculated by multiplying the projected total annual gross receipts for all emergency medical transport providers subject to the fee by 5.1 percent, which resulting product shall be divided by the projected total annual emergency medical transports by all emergency medical transport providers subject to the fee for the state fiscal year.
(B) For state fiscal years beginning July 1, 2019, and continuing each state fiscal year thereafter, the annual quality assurance fee rate shall be calculated by a ratio, the numerator of which shall be the sum of: (i) the of both of the following:
(i) The product of the projected aggregate fee schedule amount and the effective state medical assistance percentage and (ii) the percentage.
(ii) The amount described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) for the state fiscal year, and the denominator of which shall be 90 percent of the projected total annual emergency medical transports by all emergency medical transport providers subject to the fee for the state fiscal year.
(2) On or before June 15, 2018, and continuing each June 15 thereafter for which this article is implemented, the director shall publish the annual quality assurance fee rate on its Internet Web site. internet website.
(3) In no case shall the fees Fees calculated pursuant to this subdivision and collected pursuant to this article shall not exceed the amounts allowable under federal law. If, on or before June 15 of each year, the director makes a determination that the fees collected pursuant to this subdivision exceed the amounts allowable under federal law, the director may reduce the add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule described in Section 14129.3 only to the extent necessary to reflect the amount of fees allowable under federal law in an applicable state fiscal year.
(4) Commencing in the 2021–22 state fiscal year, and each state fiscal year thereafter, the following dates shall apply to paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive:
(A) The director shall calculate the annual quality assurance fee rate applicable to a program period pursuant to paragraph (1) at least 150 days before the start of the state fiscal year.
(B) The director shall publish the annual quality assurance fee rate applicable to a program period pursuant to paragraph (2) at least 30 days before the start of the state fiscal year.
(C) The last date upon which the director may make a determination pursuant to paragraph (3) shall be 15 days before the end of the state fiscal year.

(4)

(5) If, during a state fiscal year for which this article is operative, the actual or projected available fee amount exceeds or is less than the actual or projected aggregate fee schedule amount by more than 1 percent, the director shall adjust the annual quality assurance fee rate so that the available fee amount for the state fiscal year will approximately equal the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year. The available fee amount for a state fiscal year shall be considered to equal the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year if the difference between the available fee amount for the state fiscal year and the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year constitutes less than 1 percent of the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year.
(c) (1) Each emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee shall remit to the department an amount equal to the annual quality assurance fee rate for the 2018–19 state fiscal year multiplied by the number of transports reported or that should have been reported by the emergency medical transport provider pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14129.1 in the quarter beginning on April 1, 2018, based on a schedule established by the director. The schedule established by the director for the fee payment described in this paragraph shall require remittance of the fee payment according to the following guidelines: pursuant to all of the following:
(A) The director shall require an emergency medical transport provider that rendered 35,000 or more Medi-Cal fee-for-service emergency medical transports during the 2016–17 state fiscal year to remit the fee payment described in this paragraph on or after July 1, 2018.
(B) The director shall require an emergency medical transport provider that rendered fewer than 35,000 Medi-Cal fee-for-service emergency medical transports during the 2016–17 state fiscal year to remit 50 percent or less of the fee payment described in this paragraph on or after August 1, 2018.
(C) The director shall require an emergency medical transport provider that rendered fewer than 35,000 Medi-Cal fee-for-service emergency medical transports during the 2016–17 state fiscal year to remit any remaining fee payment amount described in this paragraph on or after August 15, 2018.
(2) Commencing with the state fiscal quarter beginning on October 1, 2018, and continuing each state fiscal quarter thereafter, on or before the first day of each state fiscal quarter, each emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee shall remit to the department an amount equal to the annual quality assurance fee rate for the applicable state fiscal year multiplied by the number of transports reported or that should have been reported by the emergency medical transport provider pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14129.1 in the immediately preceding quarter.
(d) (1) Interest shall be assessed on quality assurance fees not paid on the date due at the greater of 10 percent per annum or the rate at which the department assesses interest on Medi-Cal program overpayments pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 14171. Interest shall begin to accrue the day after the date the payment was due and shall be deposited in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund established in subdivision (f).
(2) In the event If that any fee payment is more than 60 days overdue, the department may deduct the unpaid fee and interest owed from any Medi-Cal reimbursement payments owed to the emergency medical transport provider until the full amount of the fee, interest, and any penalties assessed under this article are recovered. Any deduction made pursuant to this subdivision shall be made only after the department gives the emergency medical transport provider written notification. Any deduction made pursuant to this subdivision may be deducted over a period of time that takes into account the financial condition of the emergency medical transport provider.
(3) In the event If that any fee payment is more than 60 days overdue, a penalty equal to the interest charge described in paragraph (1) shall be assessed and due for each month for which the payment is not received after 60 days. Any funds resulting from a penalty imposed pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund created pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4) The director may waive a portion or all of either the interest or penalties, or both, assessed under this article in the event if the director determines, in his or her their sole discretion, that the emergency medical transport provider has demonstrated that imposition of the full amount of the quality assurance fee pursuant to the timelines applicable under this article has a high likelihood of creating an undue financial hardship for the provider. Waiver of some or all of the interest or penalties pursuant to this paragraph shall be conditioned on the emergency medical transport provider’s agreement to make fee payments on an alternative schedule developed by the department.
(e) The department shall accept an emergency medical transport provider’s payment even if the payment is submitted in a rate year subsequent to the rate year in which the fee was assessed.
(f) (1) The director shall deposit the quality assurance fees collected pursuant to this section in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury and, notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, is continuously appropriated without regard to fiscal years to the department for the purposes specified in this article. Notwithstanding Section 16305.7 of the Government Code, the fund shall also include interest and dividends earned on moneys in the fund.
(2) The moneys in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, including any interest and dividends earned on money in the fund, shall be available exclusively to enhance federal financial participation for ambulance services under the Medi-Cal program and to provide additional reimbursement to, and to support quality improvement efforts of, emergency medical transport providers, and to pay for the state’s administrative costs and to provide funding for health care coverage for Californians, in the following order of priority:
(A) To pay for the department’s staffing and administrative costs directly attributable to implementing this article, not to exceed the following amounts:
(i) For the 2018–19 state fiscal year, one million three thousand dollars ($1,003,000), exclusive of any federal matching funds.
(ii) For the 2019–20 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter, three hundred seventy-four thousand dollars ($374,000), exclusive of any federal matching funds.
(B) To pay for the health care coverage in each applicable state fiscal year in the amount of 10 percent of the annual quality assurance fee collection amount, exclusive of any federal matching funds.
(C) To make increased payments to emergency medical transport providers pursuant to this article.
(g) In the event of a merger, acquisition, or similar transaction involving an emergency medical transport provider that has outstanding quality assurance fee payment obligations pursuant to this article, including any interest and penalty amounts owed, the resultant or successor emergency medical transport provider shall be responsible for paying to the department the full amount of outstanding quality assurance fee payments, including any applicable interest and penalties, attributable to the emergency medical transport provider for which it was assessed, upon the effective date of such transaction. An entity considering a merger, acquisition, or similar transaction involving an emergency medical transport provider may submit a request pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Title 1 of the Government Code to ascertain the outstanding quality assurance fee payment obligations of the emergency medical transport provider pursuant to this article as of the date of the department’s response to that request.

SEC. 4.

 Section 14129.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

14129.3.
 (a) Except as provided in subdivision (i) of Section 14105.945, commencing Commencing July 1, 2018, and for each state fiscal year thereafter for which this article is operative, reimbursement to emergency medical transport providers for emergency medical transports shall be increased by application of an add-on to the associated Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule. The add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule under this section shall be calculated on or before June 15, 2018, and shall remain the same for later state fiscal years for which this article is operative, to the extent the department determines federal financial participation is available and is not otherwise jeopardized. The add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule under this section shall apply only to those billing codes identified in, or any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director pursuant to, subdivision (g) of Section 14129. The department shall calculate the projections required by this subdivision based on the data submitted pursuant to Section 14129.1. The fee-for-service add-on shall be equal to the quotient of the available fee amount projected by the department on or before June 15, 2018, for the 2018–19 state fiscal year, divided by the total Medi-Cal emergency medical transports, including both fee-for-service transports paid by the department and managed care transports paid by Medi-Cal managed care health plans, utilizing these billing codes projected by the department on or before June 15, 2018, for the 2018–19 state fiscal year. The resulting fee-for-service payment schedule amounts after the application of this section shall be equal to the sum of the Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule amount for the 2015–16 state fiscal year and the add-on increase.
(b) (1) Each applicable Medi-Cal managed care health plan shall satisfy its obligation under Section 438.114(c) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations for emergency medical transports and shall provide payment to noncontract emergency medical transport providers consistent with Section 1396u-2(b)(2)(D) of Title 42 of the United States Code. Effective July 1, 2018, and for each state fiscal year thereafter for which this article is operative, the amounts a noncontract emergency medical transport provider could collect if the beneficiary received medical assistance other than through enrollment in a Medi-Cal managed care health plan pursuant to Section 1396u-2(b)(2)(D) of Title 42 of the United States Code shall be the resulting fee-for-service payment schedule amounts after the application of this section. Each Medi-Cal managed care health plan shall comply with this subdivision for any dates of service for which this section is operative.

(2)This subdivision shall not apply to an eligible provider, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14105.945, who provides noncontract emergency medical transports to an enrollee of a Medi-Cal managed care plan during any Medi-Cal managed care rating period that Section 14105.945 is implemented.

(c) The increased payments required by this section shall be funded solely from the following:
(1) The quality assurance fee set forth in Section 14129.2, along with including any interest or other investment income earned on those funds.
(2) Federal reimbursement and any other related federal funds.
(d) The proceeds of the quality assurance fee set forth in Section 14129.2, the matching amount provided by the federal government, and any interest earned on those proceeds shall be used to supplement existing funding for emergency medical transports provided by emergency medical transport providers and not to supplant this funding.
(e) Notwithstanding this article, the department may seek federal approval to implement any add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule pursuant to this section for any state fiscal year or years, as applicable, on a time-limited basis for a fixed program period, as determined by the department.
(f) Notwithstanding this article, the add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule pursuant to this section shall only be required and payable for state fiscal years that a quality assurance fee payment obligation exists for emergency medical transport providers.

SECTION 1.SEC. 5.

 Section 14129.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

14129.5.
 (a) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this article, in whole or in part, by means of provider bulletins, plan letters, or other similar instructions, without taking regulatory action. The department shall provide notification to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature within 10 business days after that action is taken.
(b) The department shall make use of appropriate processes to ensure that affected stakeholders are timely informed of, and have access to, guidance issued pursuant to this authority, and that this guidance remains publicly available for the period that this article remains operative.

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