S.F. No. 628 establishing a new category of home care nursing and sets a payment rate for those services.

Section 1 (256B.0654, subdivision 1) adds a definition for intensive pediatric home care nursing to the home care nursing section of law. Note: the definition for intensive pediatric home care nursing references complex home care nursing, which references regular home care nursing, which references home care nursing.

Section 2 (256B.0654, subdivision 5) Paragraph (a) sets the payment rate for intensive pediatric home care nursing at 125 percent of the payment rate for complex home care nursing. Federally qualified health centers, rural health centers, and Indian health services do not receive the higher payment rate. Managed care and county-based purchasing plans do receive the higher payment rate, but must pass on the entire increase to home care nursing agencies.

Paragraph (b) requires any home care nursing agency that receives the higher intensive pediatric home care nursing services payment rate to use 25 percent of the increase for pediatric patient-specific training and the remainder for nursing staff pay and benefits.