§1395tt. Hospital providers of extended care services

(a) Hospital facility agreements; reasonable costs of services

(1) Any hospital (other than a hospital which has in effect a waiver under subparagraph (A) of the last sentence of section 1395x(e) of this title) which has an agreement under section 1395cc of this title may (subject to subsection (b) of this section) enter into an agreement with the Secretary under which its inpatient hospital facilities may be used for the furnishing of services of the type which, if furnished by a skilled nursing facility, would constitute extended care services.

(2)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, payment to any hospital for services furnished under an agreement entered into under this section shall be based upon the reasonable cost of the services as determined under subparagraph (B).

(B)(i) The reasonable cost of the services consists of the reasonable cost of routine services (determined under clause (ii)) and the reasonable cost of ancillary services (determined under clause (iii)).

(ii) The reasonable cost of routine services furnished during any calendar year by a hospital under an agreement under this section is equal to the product of-

(I) the number of patient-days during the year for which the services were furnished, and

(II) the average reasonable cost per patient-day, such average reasonable cost per patient-day being the average rate per patient-day paid for routine services during the most recent year for which cost reporting data are available with respect to such services (increased in a compounded manner by the applicable increase for payments for routine service costs of skilled nursing facilities under section 1395yy of this title for subsequent cost reporting periods and up to and including such calendar year) under this subchapter to freestanding skilled nursing facilities in the region (as defined in section 1395ww(d)(2)(D) of this title) in which the facility is located.

(iii) The reasonable cost of ancillary services shall be determined in the same manner as the reasonable cost of ancillary services provided for inpatient hospital services.

(b) Eligible facilities

The Secretary may not enter into an agreement under this section with any hospital unless-

(1) except as provided under subsection (g) of this section, the hospital is located in a rural area and has less than 100 beds, and

(2) the hospital has been granted a certificate of need for the provision of long-term care services from the State health planning and development agency (designated under section 300m ¹ of this title) for the State in which the hospital is located.

(c) Terms and conditions of facility agreements

An agreement with a hospital under this section shall, except as otherwise provided under regulations of the Secretary, be of the same duration and subject to termination on the same conditions as are agreements with skilled nursing facilities under section 1395cc of this title and shall, where not inconsistent with any provision of this section, impose the same duties, responsibilities, conditions, and limitations, as those imposed under such agreements entered into under section 1395cc of this title; except that no such agreement with any hospital shall be in effect for any period during which the hospital does not have in effect an agreement under section 1395cc of this title, or during which there is in effect for the hospital a waiver under subparagraph (A) of the last sentence of section 1395x(e) of this title. A hospital with respect to which an agreement under this section has been terminated shall not be eligible to enter into a new agreement until a two-year period has elapsed from the termination date.

(d) Post-hospital extended care services

(1) Any agreement with a hospital under this section shall provide that payment for services will be made only for services for which payment would be made as post-hospital extended care services if those services had been furnished by a skilled nursing facility under an agreement entered into under section 1395cc of this title; and any individual who is furnished services, for which payment may be made under an agreement under this section, shall, for purposes of this subchapter (other than this section), be deemed to have received post-hospital extended care services in like manner and to the same extent as if the services furnished to him had been post-hospital extended care services furnished by a skilled nursing facility under an agreement under section 1395cc of this title.

(2)(A) Any agreement under this section with a hospital with more than 49 beds shall provide that no payment may be made for extended care services which are furnished to an extended care patient after the end of the 5-day period (excluding weekends and holidays) beginning on an availability date for a skilled nursing facility, unless the patient's physician certifies, within such 5-day period, that the transfer of that patient to that facility is not medically appropriate on the availability date. The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to provide for notice by skilled nursing facilities of availability dates to hospitals which have agreements under this section and which are located within the same geographic region (as defined by the Secretary).

(B) In this paragraph:

(i) The term "availability date" means, with respect to an extended care patient at a hospital, any date on which a bed is available for the patient in a skilled nursing facility located within the geographic region in which the hospital is located.

(ii) The term "extended care patient" means an individual being furnished extended care services at a hospital pursuant to an agreement with the Secretary under this section.

(3) In the case of an agreement for a cost reporting period under this section with a hospital that has more than 49 beds, payment may not be made in the period for patient-days of extended care services that exceed 15 percent of the product of the number of days in the period and the average number of licensed beds in the hospital in the period, except that such payment shall continue to be made in the period for those patients who are receiving extended care services at the time the hospital reaches the limit specified in this paragraph.

(e) Reimbursement for routine hospital services

During a period for which a hospital has in effect an agreement under this section, in order to allocate routine costs between hospital and long-term care services for purposes of determining payment for inpatient hospital services, the total reimbursement due for routine services from all classes of long-term care patients (including this subchapter, subchapter XIX of this chapter, and private pay patients) shall be subtracted from the hospital's total routine costs before calculations are made to determine this subchapter reimbursement for routine hospital services.

(f) Conditions applicable to skilled nursing facilities

A hospital which enters into an agreement with the Secretary under this section shall be required to meet those conditions applicable to skilled nursing facilities relating to discharge planning and the social services function (and staffing requirements to satisfy it) which are promulgated by the Secretary under section 1395i–3 of this title. Services furnished by such a hospital which would otherwise constitute post-hospital extended care services if furnished by a skilled nursing facility shall be subject to the same requirements applicable to such services when furnished by a skilled nursing facility except for those requirements the Secretary determines are inappropriate in the case of these services being furnished by a hospital under this section.

(g) Agreements on demonstration basis

The Secretary may enter into an agreement under this section on a demonstration basis with any hospital which does not meet the requirement of subsection (b)(1) of this section, if the hospital otherwise meets the requirements of this section.

(Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title XVIII, §1883, as added Dec. 5, 1980, Pub. L. 96–499, title IX, §904(a)(1), 94 Stat. 2615 ; amended Dec. 22, 1987, Pub. L. 100–203, title IV, §§4005(b)(1), (2), 4201(d)(3), 101 Stat. 1330–48 , as amended July 1, 1988, Pub. L. 100–360, title IV, §411(l)(1)(C), as added Oct. 13, 1988, Pub. L. 100–485, title VI, §608(d)(27)(B), 102 Stat. 2422 ; July 1, 1988, Pub. L. 100–360, title I, §104(d)(6), title IV, §411(b)(4)(D), 102 Stat. 689 , 770; Dec. 13, 1989, Pub. L. 101–234, title I, §101(a), 103 Stat. 1979 ; Nov. 5, 1990, Pub. L. 101–508, title IV, §4008(j)(1), 104 Stat. 1388–51 .)

References in Text

Section 300m of this title, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), was in the original a reference to section 1521 of act July 1, 1944, which was repealed effective Jan. 1, 1987, by Pub. L. 99–660, title VII, §701(a), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3799 . Pub. L. 101–354, §2, Aug. 10, 1990, 104 Stat. 410 , enacted section 1503 of act July 1, 1944, which is classified to section 300m of this title.

Amendments

1990-Subsec. (a)(2)(B)(ii)(II). Pub. L. 101–508 substituted "the most recent year for which cost reporting data are available with respect to such services (increased in a compounded manner by the applicable increase for payments for routine service costs of skilled nursing facilities under section 1395yy of this title for subsequent cost reporting periods and up to and including such calendar year) under this subchapter to freestanding skilled nursing facilities in the region (as defined in section 1395ww(d)(2)(D) of this title) in which the facility is located." for "the previous calendar year" and all that follows through the period, which was executed by making the substitution for "the previous calendar year under the State plan (of the State in which the hospital is located) under subchapter XIX of this chapter to skilled nursing facilities located in the State and which meet the requirements specified in section 1396a(a)(28) of this title, or, in the case of a hospital located in a State which does not have such a State plan, the average rate per patient-day paid for routine services during the previous calendar year under this subchapter to skilled nursing facilities in such State."

1989-Subsecs. (d)(1), (f). Pub. L. 101–234 repealed Pub. L. 100–360, §104(d)(6), and provided that the provisions of law amended or repealed by such section are restored or revived as if such section had not been enacted, see 1988 Amendment notes below.

1988-Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 100–360, §104(d)(6), struck out "post-hospital" before "extended care services" wherever appearing.

Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 100–360, §411(b)(4)(D), inserted before period at end ", except that such payment shall continue to be made in the period for those patients who are receiving extended care services at the time the hospital reaches the limit specified in this paragraph".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 100–360, §411(l)(1)(C), as added by Pub. L. 100–485, §608(d)(27)(B), added Pub. L. 100–203, §4201(d)(3), see 1987 Amendment note below.

Pub. L. 100–360, §104(d)(6), struck out "post-hospital" before "extended care services".

1987-Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 100–203, §4005(b)(1), substituted "100" for "50".

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–203, §4005(b)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added pars. (2) and (3).

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 100–203, §4201(d)(3), as added by Pub. L. 100–360, §411(l)(1)(C), and Pub. L. 100–485, §608(d)(27)(B), substituted "section 1395i–3" for "section 1395x(j)(15)".

Effective Date of 1990 Amendment

Section 4008(j)(4) of Pub. L. 101–508 provided that: "The amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section] shall apply to services furnished on or after October 1, 1990."

Effective Date of 1989 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 101–234 effective Jan. 1, 1990, see section 101(d) of Pub. L. 101–234, set out as a note under section 1395c of this title.

Effective Date of 1988 Amendments

Amendment by Pub. L. 100–485 effective as if included in the enactment of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988, Pub. L. 100–360, see section 608(g)(1) of Pub. L. 100–485, set out as a note under section 704 of this title.

Amendment by section 104(d)(6) of Pub. L. 100–360 effective Jan. 1, 1989, except as otherwise provided, and applicable to inpatient hospital deductible for 1989 and succeeding years, to care and services furnished on or after Jan. 1, 1989, to premiums for January 1989 and succeeding months, and to blood or blood cells furnished on or after Jan. 1, 1989, see section 104(a) of Pub. L. 100–360, set out as a note under section 1395d of this title.

Except as specifically provided in section 411 of Pub. L. 100–360, amendment by section 411(b)(4)(D), (l)(1)(C) of Pub. L. 100–360, as it relates to a provision in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, Pub. L. 100–203, effective as if included in the enactment of that provision in Pub. L. 100–203, see section 411(a) of Pub. L. 100–360, set out as a Reference to OBRA; Effective Date note under section 106 of Title 1, General Provisions.

Effective Date of 1987 Amendment

Section 4005(b)(4) of Pub. L. 100–203 provided that: "The amendments made by paragraphs (1) and (2) [amending this section] shall apply to agreements under section 1883 of the Social Security Act [this section] entered into after March 31, 1988."

Amendment by section 4201(d)(3) of Pub. L. 100–203 applicable to services furnished on or after Oct. 1, 1990, without regard to whether regulations to implement such amendment are promulgated by such date, except as otherwise specifically provided in section 1395i–3 of this title, see section 4204(a) of Pub. L. 100–203, as amended, set out as an Effective Date note under section 1395i–3 of this title.

Effective Date

Section 904(d) of Pub. L. 96–499 provided that: "The amendments made by this section [enacting this section and section 1396l of this title] shall become effective on the date on which final regulations, promulgated by the Secretary to implement such amendments, are first issued; and those regulations shall be issued not later than the first day of the sixth month following the month in which this Act is enacted [December 1980]."

Hold Harmless for Amendment by Pub. L. 101–508

Section 4008(j)(2) of Pub. L. 101–508 provided that: "If, as a result of the amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section], the reasonable cost of routine services furnished by a hospital during a calendar year (as determined under section 1883 of the Social Security Act [this section]) is less than the reasonable cost of such services determined under such section for the previous calendar year, the reasonable cost of such services furnished by the hospital during the calendar year under such section shall be equal to the reasonable cost determined under such section for the previous calendar year."

Swing Beds Certified Prior to May 1, 1987

Section 4008(j)(3) of Pub. L. 101–508 provided that: "Notwithstanding the requirement of section 1883(b)(1) of the Social Security Act [subsec. (b)(1) of this section] that the Secretary may not enter into an agreement under such section with a hospital that is not located in a rural area, any agreement entered into under such section on or before May 1, 1987, between the Secretary of Health and Human Services and a hospital located in an urban area shall remain in effect."

Report of Hospital Admissions for Extended Care Services

Section 4005(b)(3) of Pub. L. 100–203, as amended by Pub. L. 100–360, title IV, §411(b)(4)(E), as added by Pub. L. 100–485, title VI, §608(d)(18)(C), Oct. 13, 1988, 102 Stat. 2419 , directed Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress, not later than Feb. 1, 1989, concerning the proportion of admissions to hospitals for extended care services under this section which are denied or approved by a peer review organization, and recommendations for methods of encouraging hospitals that have a low occupancy rate, are eligible to enter (but have not entered) into an agreement under this section, and are located in areas with a need for additional providers of extended care services, to enter into such agreements.

Report on Hospital Providers of Extended Care, Skilled Nursing, and Intermediate Care Services

Section 904(c) of Pub. L. 96–499 directed Secretary of Health and Human Services, within three years after Dec. 5, 1980, to submit to Congress a report evaluating programs established by the amendments made by this section (enacting this section and section 1396l of this title), including in such report an analysis of the extent and effect of the agreements under such programs on availability and effective and economical provision of long-term care services, whether such programs should be continued, the results of any demonstration projects conducted under such programs, and whether eligibility to participate in such programs should be extended to other hospitals, regardless of bed size or geographic location, where there is a shortage of long-term care beds.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 1395i–4, 1396l of this title.

¹ See References in Text note below.