* § 4903-a. Utilization review determinations for medically fragile children. 1. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of the utilization review agent's clinical standards, the utilization review agent shall administer and apply the clinical standards (and make determinations of medical necessity) regarding medically fragile children in accordance with the requirements of this section. To the extent any of the requirements of this section impose obligations which extend beyond the contracted role of any independent utilization review agent under contract with a health maintenance organization, it shall be the obligation of the health maintenance organization to comply with all portions of this section which are not administered by the independent utilization review agent.

2. In the case of a medically fragile child, the term "medically necessary" shall mean health care and services that are necessary to promote normal growth and development and prevent, diagnose, treat, ameliorate or palliate the effects of a physical, mental, behavioral, genetic, or congenital condition, injury or disability. When applied to the circumstances of any particular medically fragile child, the term "medically necessary" shall include (a) the care or services that are essential to prevent, diagnose, prevent the worsening of, alleviate or ameliorate the effects of an illness, injury, disability, disorder or condition, (b) the care or services that are essential to the overall physical, cognitive and mental growth and developmental needs of the child, and (c) the care or services that will assist the child to achieve or maintain maximum functional capacity in performing daily activities, taking into account both the functional capacity of the child and those functional capacities that are appropriate for individuals of the same age as the child. The utilization review agent shall base its determination on medical and other relevant information provided by the child's primary care provider, other health care providers, school, local social services, and/or local public health officials that have evaluated the child, and the utilization review agent will ensure the care and services are provided in sufficient amount, duration and scope to reasonably be expected to produce the intended results and to have the expected benefits that outweigh the potential harmful effects.

3. Utilization review agents shall undertake the following with respect to medically fragile children:

(a) Consider as medically necessary all covered services that assist medically fragile children in reaching their maximum functional capacity, taking into account the appropriate functional capacities of children of the same age. Health maintenance organizations must continue to cover services until that child achieves age-appropriate functional capacity. A managed care provider, authorized by § 364-j of the social services law, shall also be required to make payment for covered services required to comply with federal Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment ("EPSDT") standards, as specified by the commissioner of health.

(b) Shall not base determinations solely upon review standards applicable to (or designed for) adults to medically fragile children. Adult standards include, but are not limited to, Medicare rehabilitation standards and the "Medicare 3 hour rule." Determinations have to take into consideration the specific needs of the child and the circumstances pertaining to their growth and development.

(c) Accommodate unusual stabilization and prolonged discharge plans for medically fragile children, as appropriate. Issues utilization review agents must consider when developing and approving discharge plans include, but are not limited to: sudden reversals of condition or progress, which may make discharge decisions uncertain or more prolonged than for other children or adults; necessary training of parents or other adults to care for medically fragile children at home; unusual discharge delays encountered if parents or other responsible adults decline or are slow to assume full responsibility for caring for medically fragile children; the need to await an appropriate home or home-like environment rather than discharge to a housing shelter or other inappropriate setting for medically fragile children, the need to await construction adaptations to the home (such as the installation of generators or other equipment); and lack of available suitable specialized care (such as unavailability of pediatric nursing home beds, pediatric ventilator units, pediatric private duty nursing in the home, or specialized pediatric home care services). Utilization review agents must develop a person centered discharge plan for the child taking the above situations into consideration.

(d) It is the utilization review agent's network management responsibility to identify an available provider of needed covered services, as determined through a person centered care plan, to effect safe discharge from a hospital or other facility; payments shall not be denied to a discharging hospital or other facility due to lack of an available post-discharge provider as long as they have worked with the utilization review agent to identify an appropriate provider. Utilization review agents are required to approve the use of out-of-network providers if the health maintenance organization does not have a participating provider to address the needs of the child.

(e) This section does not limit any other rights the medically fragile child may have, including the right to appeal the denial of out of network coverage at in-network cost sharing levels where an appropriate in-network provider is not available pursuant to subdivision one-b of section forty-nine hundred four of this title.

(f) Utilization review agents must ensure that medically fragile children receive services from appropriate providers that have the expertise to effectively treat the child and must contract with providers with demonstrated expertise in caring for the medically fragile children. Network providers shall refer to appropriate network community and facility providers to meet the needs of the child or seek authorization from the utilization review agent for out-of-network providers when participating providers cannot meet the child's needs. The utilization review agent must authorize services as fast as the enrollee's condition requires and in accordance with established timeframes in the contracts or policy forms.

4. A health maintenance organization shall have a procedure by which an enrollee who is a medically fragile child who requires specialized medical care over a prolonged period of time, may receive a referral to a specialty care center for medically fragile children. If the health maintenance organization, or the primary care provider or the specialist treating the patient, in consultation with a medical director of the utilization review agent, determines that the enrollee's care would most appropriately be provided by such a specialty care center, the organization shall refer the enrollee to such center. In no event shall a health maintenance organization be required to permit an enrollee to elect to have a non-participating specialty care center, unless the organization does not have an appropriate specialty care center to treat the enrollee's disease or condition within its network. Such referral shall be pursuant to a treatment plan developed by the specialty care center and approved by the health maintenance organization, in consultation with the primary care provider, if any, or a specialist treating the patient, and the enrollee or the enrollee's designee. If an organization refers an enrollee to a specialty care center that does not participate in the organization's network, services provided pursuant to the approved treatment plan shall be provided at no additional cost to the enrollee beyond what the enrollee would otherwise pay for services received within the network. For purposes of this section, a specialty care center for medically fragile children shall mean a children's hospital as defined pursuant to subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (e-2) of subdivision four of section twenty-eight hundred seven-c of this chapter, a residential health care facility affiliated with such a children's hospital, any residential health care facility with a specialty pediatric bed average daily census during two thousand seventeen of fifty or more patients, or a facility which satisfies such other criteria as the commissioner may designate.

5. When rendering or arranging for care or payment, both the provider and the health maintenance organization shall inquire of, and shall consider the desires of the family of a medically fragile child including, but not limited to, the availability and capacity of the family, the need for the family to simultaneously care for the family's other children, and the need for parents to continue employment.

6. Except in the case of Medicaid managed care, the health maintenance organization must pay at least eighty-five percent (unless a different percentage or method has been mutually agreed to) of the facility's negotiated acute care rate for all days of inpatient hospital care at a participating specialty care center for medically fragile children when the health maintenance organization and the specialty care facility mutually agree the patient is ready for discharge from the specialty care center to the patient's home but requires specialized home services that are not available or in place, or the patient is awaiting discharge to a residential health care facility when no residential health care facility bed is available given the specialized needs of the medically fragile child. Medicaid managed care plans shall pay for such additional days at a rate negotiated between the Medicaid managed care plan and the hospital. Except in the case of Medicaid managed care, the health maintenance organization must pay at least the facility's Medicaid skilled nursing facility rate, unless a different rate has been mutually negotiated, for all days of residential health care facility care at a participating specialty care center for medically fragile children when the health maintenance organization and the specialty care facility mutually agree the patient is ready for discharge from the specialty care center to the patient's home but requires specialized home services that are not available or in place. Medicaid managed care plans shall pay for such additional days at a rate negotiated between the Medicaid managed care plan and the residential health care facility. Such requirements shall apply until the health plan can identify and secure admission to an alternate provider rendering the necessary level of services. The specialty care center must cooperate with the health maintenance organization's placement efforts.

7. In the event a health maintenance organization enters into a participation agreement with a specialty care center for medically fragile children in this state, the requirements of this section shall apply to such participation agreement and to all claims submitted to, or payments made by, any other health maintenance organizations, insurers or payors making payment to the specialty care center pursuant to the provisions of that participation agreement.

8. (a) The commissioner shall designate a single set of clinical standards applicable to all utilization review agents regarding pediatric extended acute care stays (defined for the purposes of this section as discharge from one acute care hospital followed by immediate admission to a second acute care hospital; not including transfers of case payment cases as defined in section twenty-eight hundred seven-c of this chapter). The standards shall be adapted from national long term acute care hospital standards for adults and shall be approved by the commissioner, after consultation with one or more specialty care centers for medically fragile children. The standards shall include, but not be limited to, specifications of the level of care supports in the patient's home, at a skilled nursing facility or other setting, that must be in place in order to safely and adequately care for a medically fragile child before medically complex acute care can be deemed no longer medically necessary. The standards designated by the commissioner shall pre-empt the clinical standards, if any, for pediatric extended acute care set forth in the utilization review plan by the utilization review agent.

(b) The commissioner shall designate a single set of supplemental clinical standards (in addition to the clinical standards selected by the utilization review agent) applicable to all utilization review agents regarding acute and sub-acute inpatient rehabilitation for medically fragile children. The supplemental standards shall specify the level of care supports in the patient's home, at a skilled nursing facility or other setting, that must be in place in order to safely and adequately care for a medically fragile child before acute or sub-acute inpatient rehabilitation can be deemed no longer medically necessary. The supplemental standards designated by the commissioner shall pre-empt the clinical standards, if any, regarding readiness for discharge of medically fragile children from acute or sub-acute inpatient rehabilitation, as set forth in the utilization review plan by the utilization review agent.

9. In all instances the utilization review agent shall defer to the recommendations of the referring physician to refer a medically fragile child for care at a particular specialty provider of care to medically fragile children, or the recommended treatment plan by the treating physician at a specialty care center for medically fragile children, except where the utilization review agent has determined, by clear and convincing evidence, that: (a) the recommended provider or proposed treatment plan is not in the best interest of the medically fragile child, or (b) an alternative provider offering substantially the same level of care in accordance with substantially the same treatment plan is available from a lower cost provider.

* NB Effective and Repealed September 1, 2023