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TITLE 28INSURANCE
PART 2TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE, DIVISION OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION
CHAPTER 134BENEFITS--GUIDELINES FOR MEDICAL SERVICES, CHARGES, AND PAYMENTS
SUBCHAPTER EHEALTH FACILITY FEES
RULE §134.402Ambulatory Surgical Center Fee Guideline

(a) Applicability of this rule is as follows:

  (1) This section applies to facility services provided on or after September 1, 2008 by an ambulatory surgical center (ASC), other than professional medical services.

  (2) This section does not apply to:

    (A) professional medical services billed by a health care provider not employed by the ASC, except for a surgical implant provider as described in this section; or

    (B) medical services provided through a workers' compensation health care network certified pursuant to Insurance Code Chapter 1305, except as provided in Insurance Code Chapter 1305.

(b) Definitions for words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless clearly indicated otherwise.

  (1) "Ambulatory Surgical Center" means a health care facility appropriately licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

  (2) "ASC device portion" means the portion of the ASC payment rate that represents the cost of the implantable device, and is calculated by applying the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) device offset percentage to the OPPS payment rate.

  (3) "ASC service portion" means the Medicare ASC payment rate less the device portion.

  (4) "Device intensive procedure" means an ASC covered surgical procedure that has been designated by CMS as device intensive in TABLE 56 - ASC COVERED SURGICAL PROCEDURES DESIGNATED AS DEVICE INTENSIVE FOR CY 2008 or its successor.

  (5) "Implantable" means an object or device that is surgically:

    (A) implanted,

    (B) embedded,

    (C) inserted,

    (D) or otherwise applied, and

    (E) related equipment necessary to operate, program, and recharge the implantable.

  (6) "Medicare payment policy" means reimbursement methodologies, models, and values or weights including its coding, billing, and reporting payment policies as set forth in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) payment policies specific to Medicare.

  (7) "Surgical implant provider" means a person that arranges for the provision of implantable devices to a health care facility and that then seeks reimbursement for the implantable devices provided directly from an insurance carrier.

(c) A surgical implant provider is subject to Chapter 133 of this title and is considered a health care provider for purposes of this section and the sections in Chapter 133.

(d) For coding, billing, and reporting, of facility services covered in this rule, Texas workers' compensation system participants shall apply the Medicare payment policies in effect on the date a service is provided with any additions or exceptions specified in this section, including the following paragraphs.

  (1) Specific provisions contained in the Labor Code or the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation (Division) rules, including this chapter, shall take precedence over any conflicting provision adopted or utilized by the CMS in administering the Medicare program.

  (2) Independent Review Organization decisions regarding medical necessity made in accordance with Labor Code §413.031 and §133.308 of this title (relating to MDR by Independent Review Organizations), which are made on a case-by-case basis, take precedence in that case only, over any Division rules and Medicare payment policies.

  (3) Whenever a component of the Medicare program is revised and effective, use of the revised component shall be required for compliance with Division rules, decisions, and orders for services rendered on and after the effective date, or after the effective date or the adoption date of the revised Medicare component, whichever is later.

(e) Regardless of billed amount, reimbursement shall be:

  (1) the amount for the service that is included in a specific fee schedule set in a contract that complies with the requirements of Labor Code §413.011; or

  (2) if no contracted fee schedule exists that complies with Labor Code §413.011, the maximum allowable reimbursement (MAR) amount under subsection (f) of this section, including any reimbursement for implantables.

  (3) If no contracted fee schedule exists that complies with Labor Code §413.011, and an amount cannot be determined by application of the formula to calculate the MAR as outlined in subsection (f) of this section, reimbursement shall be determined in accordance with §134.1 of this title (relating to Medical Reimbursement).

(f) The reimbursement calculation used for establishing the MAR shall be the Medicare ASC reimbursement amount determined by applying the most recently adopted and effective Medicare Payment System Policies for Services Furnished in Ambulatory Surgical Centers and Outpatient Prospective Payment System reimbursement formula and factors as published annually in the Federal Register. Reimbursement shall be based on the fully implemented payment amount as in ADDENDUM AA, ASC COVERED SURGICAL PROCEDURES FOR CY 2008, published in the November 27, 2007 publication of the Federal Register, or its successor. The following minimal modifications apply:

  (1) Reimbursement for non-device intensive procedures shall be:

    (A) The Medicare ASC facility reimbursement amount multiplied by 235 percent; or

    (B) if an ASC facility or surgical implant provider requests separate reimbursement for an implantable, reimbursement for the non-device intensive procedure shall be the sum of:

      (i) the lesser of the manufacturer's invoice amount or the net amount (exclusive of rebates and discounts) plus 10 percent or $1,000 per billed item add-on, whichever is less, but not to exceed $2,000 in add-on's per admission; and

      (ii) the Medicare ASC facility reimbursement amount multiplied by 153 percent.

  (2) Reimbursement for device intensive procedures shall be:

    (A) the sum of:

      (i) the ASC device portion; and

      (ii) the ASC service portion multiplied by 235 percent; or

    (B) If an ASC facility or surgical implant provider requests separate reimbursement for an implantable, reimbursement for the device intensive procedure shall be the sum of:

      (i) the lesser of the manufacturer's invoice amount or the net amount (exclusive of rebates and discounts) plus 10 percent or $1,000 per billed item add-on, whichever is less, but not to exceed $2,000 in add-on's per admission; and

      (ii) the ASC service portion multiplied by 235 percent.

(g) A facility, or surgical implant provider with written agreement of the facility, may request separate reimbursement for an implantable.

  (1) The facility or surgical implant provider requesting reimbursement for the implantable shall:

    (A) bill for the implantable on the Medicare-specific billing form for ASCs;

    (B) include with the billing a certification that the amount billed represents the actual cost (net amount, exclusive of rebates and discounts) for the implantable. The certification shall include the following sentence: "I hereby certify under penalty of law that the following is the true and correct actual cost to the best of my knowledge," and shall be signed by an authorized representative of the facility or surgical implant provider who has personal knowledge of the cost of the implantable and any rebates or discounts to which the facility or surgical implant provider may be entitled.

  (2) An insurance carrier may use the audit process under §133.230 of this title (relating to Insurance Carrier Audit of a Medical Bill) to seek verification that the amount certified under paragraph (1) of this subsection properly reflects the requirements of this subsection. Such verification may also take place in the Medical Dispute Resolution process under §133.307 of this title (relating to MDR of Fee Dispute), if that process is properly requested, notwithstanding §133.307(d)(2)(B) of this title.

  (3) Nothing in this rule precludes an ASC or insurance carrier from utilizing a surgical implant provider to arrange for the provision of implantable devices. Implantables provided by a surgical implant provider shall be reimbursed according to this subsection.

(h) For medical services provided in an ASC, but not addressed in the Medicare payment policies as outlined in subsection (f) of this section, and for which Medicare reimburses using other Medicare fee schedules, reimbursement shall be made using the applicable Division Fee Guideline in effect for that service on the date the service was provided.

(i) If Medicare prohibits a service from being performed in an ASC setting, the insurance carrier, health care provider, and ASC may agree, on a voluntary basis, to an ASC setting as follows:

  (1) The agreement may occur before, or during, preauthorization.

Cont'd...

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