Nurse Aide Training

Nurse Aide Training A. Nurse Aide Training and Testing Reimbursement 1. The Division of Medicaid uses the direct reimbursement method for nurse aide training and testing expenses incurred by nursing facilities. 2. Reasonable cost of training and competency testing of nurse aides in order to meet the requirements necessary for the nurse aide to be certified are to be billed directly to Medicaid B. In-House Training Programs 1. The nursing facility will be directly reimbursed by Medicaid for covered services, equipment, and supplies. In order to receive Medicaid reimbursement, the training program must have approval from the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), Division of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification. 2. Services and supplies approved for payment will be subject to application of the nursing facility's percentage of Medicaid utilization. The Medicaid utilization percentages of every facility are redetermined annually and are applicable for one (1) state fiscal year. The percentages are taken from the most recent cost report at the time of redetermination. Nursing facilities and training centers are notified in writing of their Medicaid utilization percent. In cases where no cost report data is available, eighty (80) percent will be applied to approved billings until such time that the correct Medicaid utilization percent can be determined. Nurse aide training centers' Medicaid utilization percentage will be redetermined annually and will be calculated based on the weighted average of Medicaid utilization percentages of associated facilities weighted by bed size. 3. Only costs actually incurred by the facility will be considered for reimbursement. No reimbursements will be made for estimated cost. 4. In-house training programs refer to the training area set up within a nursing facility or training center. In-house training programs include training areas set up by a nursing facility in a remote location due to space restrictions. A training center is an area set up for nurse aide training which serves more than one (1) facility and is located in an area remote from any of the associated facilities. C. Testing Fees are allowable for direct reimbursement for nurse aides who have been through an approved certification training program. Medicaid will reimburse for written or oral and clinical testing fees based on the fee schedule from the current testing services contracted by MSDH. Testing reimbursement will be subject to a nursing facility’s Medicaid utilization percent just like training reimbursement. Testing must be billed by the employing facility of the nurse aide who was tested. This applies even to nurse aides trained in a training center. Training centers do not bill the nurse aide testing fees. Medicaid will reimburse the cost for a nurse aide to be tested up to three (3) times. If after three (3) attempts, a nurse aide fails to pass the tests, Medicaid requires the aide to complete another training program before any additional tests will be reimbursed. Testing fees must be billed with thirty (30) days of the test date. Pass/fail results must be included with the billing. Pass/fail results can include either the results received from the current testing service or the actual results given to the aides at the time of the tests. D. Out of Facility Training 1. Facilities which do not have an approved nurse aide training and testing program and are not associated with an approved training center may acquire training for their employed aides at any approved non-facility-based Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP). Medicaid has set a limit on reimbursable cost on training and evaluating a nurse aide outside the facility. 2. The current limit is set at five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each nurse aide's training session and testing. Medicaid will apply the Medicaid utilization percent of the employing facility to the lesser of the cost incurred or the limit to determine the amount reimbursable. Under no circumstances will Medicaid reimburse a facility for off-site training and testing costs when it is determined that the off-site training and testing site is receiving reimbursement from Medicaid for the same training or testing session. Out of facility training should be billed using the billing form for nurse assistant training expenses. Pass/fail results should be submitted with the billing form if the aide was tested. 3. Facilities that do not have an approved nurse aide training program, which receive training for their employed nurse aides at an approved site that is a related party, are subject to reimbursement limits at cost. The training program must submit to Medicaid a record of the actual allowable costs incurred to run the training program for a month. Costs are determined allowable following the guidelines stated for approved training centers. Documentation must be submitted with the record of costs in accordance with other paragraphs of this section. The allowable reimbursement for each nurse aide trained for the related party nursing facility will be limited to cost and will be subject to the application of the Medicaid utilization percent. 4. The Medicaid utilization percent is determined by the total allowable monthly costs that will be divided by two (2) to recognize the time for two (2) training sessions of two (2) weeks each in each month. The monthly costs will be further divided by the maximum number of aides allowed in each training session. This calculation will result in the determination of the allowable tuition rate for a nurse aide employed by a related party nursing facility. The related party nursing facility will bill Medicaid the predetermined allowable tuition rate. Medicaid will then apply the facility's Medicaid utilization percent when approving the billing. The training program will be allowed to submit actual monthly costs as often as once per month. Submission of costs for subsequent months are only required when there is a permanent change. Facilities will have an option exercisable at the beginning of each state fiscal year and at the inception of the training program to report actual numbers of aides trained in total and for the related party nursing facility in each training session in order to prorate the monthly costs. E. Reimbursement to an Individual Not Yet Employed at the Time of Training - Medicaid will reimburse the cost of an approved nurse aide training and competency evaluation program to an individual who is not employed, or who does not have an offer of employment, as a nurse aide on a pro rata basis under the following conditions: 1. The individual is employed or receives an offer of employment from a nursing facility not later than twelve (12) months after completing an approved program. 2. The individual incurred costs for the training and testing and can provide documentary evidence of them. Medicaid will not reimburse costs to an individual who received training through a grant. 3. Medicaid will not approve costs in excess of the training and testing limits set for out-of- facility training. The Medicaid utilization percent(s) of the facility(s) which employs the nurse aide will be applied to the approved cost to determine the reimbursement amount. 4. Medicaid will reimburse one-half (1/2) of the settlement after six (6) months of full time employment by one (1) or more Mississippi nursing facilities. The remaining one-half (1/2) of the settlement will be reimbursed after the nurse aide has been employed full time for twelve (12) months by Mississippi nursing facilities. 5. The facility which employs the nurse aide must submit the bill for reimbursement to Medicaid on the billing form for Nurse Assistant Training Expenses. F. Prohibition of Charges - No nurse aide who is employed by, or who has an offer of employment from, a facility on the date on which the aide begins training and testing program may be charged for any portion of the program. G. Withdrawal of Program Approval - MSDH will notify Medicaid in writing when program approval is withdrawn. As a result, reimbursement from Medicaid will be stopped as of the date of withdrawal of program approval. As an exception, Medicaid will reimburse the allowable costs incurred to complete a training session which is in progress on the date of withdrawal of program approval. If it is determined by the MSDH that the equipment and supplies purchased for the nurse aide training program were never used for nurse aide training, Medicaid will require reimbursement from the facility for all costs incurred by Medicaid. Where possible used training equipment should be transferred to another approved training site. Any funds received from the sale of nurse aide training equipment, which was paid for by Medicaid must be refunded at the Medicaid utilization percent in effect at the time of original reimbursement.