Use of certain PMATF funds for the purchase of acute care mental health services.

(1) A hospital may be eligible to be reimbursed an amount no greater than the hospital’s previous year contribution to the PMATF for acute mental health services provided to indigent mentally ill persons who have been determined by the agency or its agent to require such treatment and who:

(a) Do not meet Medicaid eligibility criteria, unless the agency makes a referral for a Medicaid eligible patient pursuant to s. 394.4789;

(b) Meet the criteria for mental illness under this part; and

(c) Meet the definition of charity care.

(2) The agency shall annually calculate a per diem reimbursement rate for each specialty psychiatric hospital to be paid to the specialty psychiatric hospitals for the provision of acute mental health services provided to indigent mentally ill patients who meet the criteria in subsection (1). After the first rate period, providers shall be notified of new reimbursement rates for each new state fiscal year by June 1. The new reimbursement rates shall commence July 1.

(3) Reimbursement rates shall be calculated using the most recent audited actual costs received by the agency. Cost data received each April 15 shall be used in the calculation of the rates. Historic costs shall be inflated from the midpoint of a hospital’s fiscal year to the midpoint of the state fiscal year. The inflation adjustment shall be made utilizing the latest available projections as of March 31 for the Data Resources Incorporated National and Regional Hospital Input Price Indices as calculated by the Medicaid program office.

(4) Reimbursement shall be based on compensating a specialty psychiatric hospital at a per diem rate equal to its operating costs per inpatient day.

(5) A hospital shall not be entitled to receive more in any one fiscal year than that hospital contributed to the PMATF during the previous fiscal year.

(6) Hospitals that agree to participate in the program set forth in this section and ss. 394.4786, 394.4787, and 394.4789 shall agree that payment from the PMATF is payment in full for all patients for which reimbursement is received under this section and ss. 394.4786, 394.4787, and 394.4789, until the funds for this program are no longer available.

(7) The agency shall develop a payment system to reimburse specialty psychiatric hospitals quarterly as set forth in this part.