Under IC 4-22-2-24, notice is hereby given that on May 3, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., at the Indiana Government Center-South, 402 West Washington Street, Conference Center Room 18, Indianapolis, Indiana, the Office of the Secretary of Family and Social Services will hold a public hearing on proposed rule amendments concerning Medicaid reimbursement regulations.

In accordance with public notice requirements established at 42 CFR 447.205, Section 1902(a)(13)(A) of the Social Security Act, and IC 4-22-2-24(d), the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning (OMPP) publishes this notice of proposed changes to methods and standards governing reimbursement methodology for home health care services.

The OMPP proposes to modify the home health care services reimbursement methodology by revising the home health reimbursement methodology from the current weighted median approach to using 95% of the unweighted median as the basis for the rates beginning on July 1, 2008. Rates beginning on the later of the effective date of this rule, or July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008, will be calculated by using the current rates as the basis and adjusting for inflation by using the CMS Home Health Agency Market Basket index.

These changes are necessary to enable OMPP to maintain capacity in the enrollment of Medicaid home health providers at a time when OMPP is trying to increase home and community based options and need to be able to ensure adequate access for individuals to receive Medicaid home health services.

These changes are expected to result in an increase in home health rate payments of approximately $2,419,036 for July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008 (of which approximately $806,345 is state funding) and $18,334,494 for July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009 (of which approximately $6,111,497 is state funding). This fiscal impact was arrived at by increasing the 2006 home health rates by the CMS HHA Market inflation index.

Copies of the proposed rule and this notice are now available and may be inspected by contacting the Director of the local county Division of Family Resources office, except in Marion County, where public inspection may be made at 402 West Washington Street, Room W382, Indianapolis, Indiana.

If an accommodation is required to allow an individual with a disability to participate in any of these meetings (public meetings), please contact Joy Heim at (317) 232-1139 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Copies of said rule are available for examination between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in Room W451 (Legal Division), Indiana State Government Center-South, 402 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana.

All parties interested in the rule are invited to attend the hearing and offer public comments. In lieu of attendance at the hearing, written comments may be sent to: IFSSA, Attention: Michelle Stein-Ordóñez, 402 West Washington Street, Room W382, P.O. Box 7083, Indianapolis, IN 46207-7083. Correspondence should be identified in the following manner: "COMMENT RE: LSA Document #07-31 Proposed Changes to Home Health Rate Reimbursement Methodology". All written comments concerning the rule received by OMPP will be available for public inspection at the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, 402 West Washington Street, Room W382, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Copies of these rules are now on file at the Indiana Government Center-South, 402 West Washington Street, Room W451 and Legislative Services Agency, One North Capitol, Suite 325, Indianapolis, Indiana and are open for public inspection.