Section 14169.51.
Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14169.51.
in effectFor purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:
(a)
“Acute psychiatric days” means the total number of Medi-Cal specialty mental health service administrative days, Medi-Cal specialty mental health service acute care days, acute psychiatric administrative days, and acute psychiatric
acute days identified in the Final Medi-Cal Utilization Statistics for the state fiscal year preceding the rebase calculation year as calculated by the department as of the retrieval date.
(b)
“Acute psychiatric per diem supplemental rate” means a fixed per diem supplemental payment for acute psychiatric days.
(c)
“Annual fee-for-service days” means the number of fee-for-service days of each hospital subject to the quality assurance fee, as reported on the days data source.
(d)
“Annual managed care days” means the number of managed care days of each hospital subject to the quality assurance fee, as reported on the days data source.
(e)
“Annual Medi-Cal days” means the number of Medi-Cal days of each hospital subject to the quality assurance fee, as
reported on the days data source.
(f)
“Base calendar year” means a calendar year that ends before a subject fiscal year begins, but no more than six years before a subject fiscal year begins. Beginning with the third program period, the department shall establish the base calendar year during the rebase calculation year as the calendar year for which the most recent data is available that the department determines is reliable.
(g)
“Converted hospital” means a private hospital that becomes a designated public hospital or a nondesignated public hospital on or after the first day of a program period.
(h)
“Days data source” means either: (1) if a hospital’s Annual Financial Disclosure Report for its fiscal year ending in the base calendar year includes data for a full fiscal year of operation, the hospital’s Annual
Financial Disclosure Report retrieved from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development as retrieved by the department on the retrieval date pursuant to Section 14169.59, for its fiscal year ending in the base calendar year; or (2) if a hospital’s Annual Financial Disclosure Report for its fiscal year ending in the base calendar year includes data for more than one day, but less than a full year of operation, the department’s best and reasonable estimates of the hospital’s Annual Financial Disclosure Report if the hospital had operated for a full year.
(i)
“Department” means the State Department of Health Care Services.
(j)
“Designated public hospital” shall have the meaning given in subdivision (d) of Section 14166.1.
(k)
“Director” means the Director of Health Care Services.
(l)
“Exempt facility” means any of the following:
(1)
A public hospital, which shall include either of the following:
(A)
A hospital, as defined in paragraph (25) of subdivision (a) of Section 14105.98.
(B)
A tax-exempt nonprofit hospital that is licensed under subdivision (a) of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code and operating a hospital owned by a local health care district, and is affiliated with the health care district hospital owner by means of the district’s status as the nonprofit corporation’s sole corporate member.
(2)
With the exception of a hospital that is in the Charitable Research Hospital peer group, as set forth in the 1991 Hospital Peer Grouping Report published by
the department, a hospital that is designated as a specialty hospital in the hospital’s most recently filed Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Hospital Annual Financial Disclosure Report, as of the first day of a program period.
(3)
A hospital that satisfies the Medicare criteria to be a long-term care hospital.
(4)
A small and rural hospital as specified in Section 124840 of the Health and Safety Code designated as that in the hospital’s most recently filed Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Hospital Annual Financial Disclosure Report, as of the first day of a program period.
(m)
“Federal approval” means the approval by the federal government of both the quality assurance fee established pursuant to this article and the supplemental payments to private hospitals described pursuant
to this article.
(n)
“Fee-for-service per diem quality assurance fee rate” means a fixed fee on fee-for-service days.
(o)
“Fee-for-service days” means inpatient hospital days as reported on the days data source where the service type is reported as “acute care,” “psychiatric care,” or “rehabilitation care,” and the payer category is reported as “Medicare traditional,” “county indigent programs-traditional,” “other third parties-traditional,” “other indigent,” or “other payers,” for purposes of the Annual Financial Disclosure Report submitted by hospitals to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
(p)
“Fund” means the Hospital Quality Assurance Revenue Fund established by Section 14167.35.
(q)
“General acute care days” means the total
number of Medi-Cal general acute care days, including well baby days, less any acute psychiatric inpatient days, paid by the department to a hospital for services in the base calendar year, as reflected in the state paid claims file on the retrieval date.
(r)
“General acute care hospital” means any hospital licensed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code.
(s)
“General acute care per diem supplemental rate” means a fixed per diem supplemental payment for general acute care days.
(t)
“High acuity days” means Medi-Cal coronary care unit days, pediatric intensive care unit days, intensive care unit days, neonatal intensive care unit days, and burn unit days paid by the department to a hospital for services in the base calendar year, as reflected in the state paid claims file prepared by
the department on the retrieval date.
(u)
“High acuity per diem supplemental rate” means a fixed per diem supplemental payment for high acuity days for specified hospitals in Section 14169.55.
(v)
“High acuity trauma per diem supplemental rate” means a fixed per diem supplemental payment for high acuity days for specified hospitals in Section 14169.55 that have been designated as specified types of trauma hospitals.
(w)
“Hospital community” includes, but is not limited to, the statewide hospital industry organization and systems representing general acute care hospitals.
(x)
“Hospital inpatient services” means all services covered under Medi-Cal and furnished by hospitals to patients who are admitted as hospital inpatients and reimbursed on a
fee-for-service basis by the department directly or through its fiscal intermediary. Hospital inpatient services include outpatient services furnished by a hospital to a patient who is admitted to that hospital within 24 hours of the provision of the outpatient services that are related to the condition for which the patient is admitted. Hospital inpatient services do not include services for which a managed health care plan is financially responsible.
(y)
“Hospital outpatient services” means all services covered under Medi-Cal furnished by hospitals to patients who are registered as hospital outpatients and reimbursed by the department on a fee-for-service basis directly or through its fiscal intermediary. Hospital outpatient services do not include services for which a managed health care plan is financially responsible, or services rendered by a hospital-based federally qualified health center for which reimbursement is received pursuant to
Section 14132.100.
(z)
“Managed care days” means inpatient hospital days as reported on the days data source where the service type is reported as “acute care,” “psychiatric care,” or “rehabilitation care,” and the payer category is reported as “Medicare managed care,” “county indigent programs-managed care,” or “other third parties-managed care,” for purposes of the Annual Financial Disclosure Report submitted by hospitals to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
(aa)
“Managed care per diem quality assurance fee rate” means a fixed fee on managed care days.
(ab)
(1)
“Managed health care plan” means a health care delivery system that manages the provision of health care and receives prepaid capitated payments from the state in return for providing services to Medi-Cal
beneficiaries.
(2)
(A)
Managed health care plans include county organized health systems and entities contracting with the department to provide or arrange services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries pursuant to the two-plan model, geographic managed care, or regional managed care for the rural expansion. Entities providing these services contract with the department pursuant to any of the following:
(i)
Article 2.7 (commencing with Section 14087.3).
(ii)
Article 2.8 (commencing with Section 14087.5).
(iii)
Article 2.81 (commencing with Section 14087.96).
(iv)
Article 2.82 (commencing with Section 14087.98).
(v)
Article 2.91 (commencing with Section 14089).
(B)
Managed health care plans do not include any of the following:
(i)
Mental health plans contracting to provide mental health care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries pursuant to Chapter 8.9 (commencing with Section 14700).
(ii)
Health plans not covering inpatient services such as primary care case management plans operating pursuant to Section 14088.85.
(iii)
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly organizations operating pursuant to Chapter 8.75 (commencing with Section 14591).
(ac)
“Medi-Cal days” means inpatient hospital days as reported on the days data source where the service type is reported as “acute care,” “psychiatric
care,” or “rehabilitation care,” and the payer category is reported as “Medi-Cal traditional” or “Medi-Cal managed care,” for purposes of the Annual Financial Disclosure Report submitted by hospitals to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
(ad)
“Medi-Cal fee-for-service days” means inpatient hospital days as reported on the days data source where the service type is reported as “acute care,” “psychiatric care,” or “rehabilitation care,” and the payer category is reported as “Medi-Cal traditional” for purposes of the Annual Financial Disclosure Report submitted by hospitals to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
(ae)
“Medi-Cal managed care days” means the total number of general acute care days, including well baby days, listed for the county organized health system and prepaid health plans identified in the Final Medi-Cal Utilization
Statistics for the state fiscal year preceding the rebase calculation year, as calculated by the department as of the retrieval date.
(af)
“Medi-Cal managed care fee days” means inpatient hospital days as reported on the days data source where the service type is reported as “acute care,” “psychiatric care,” or “rehabilitation care,” and the payer category is reported as “Medi-Cal managed care” for purposes of the Annual Financial Disclosure Report submitted by hospitals to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
(ag)
“Medi-Cal per diem quality assurance fee rate” means a fixed fee on Medi-Cal days.
(ah)
“Medicaid inpatient utilization rate” means Medicaid inpatient utilization rate as defined in Section 1396r-4 of Title 42 of the United States Code and as set forth in the Final Medi-Cal Utilization
Statistics for the state fiscal year preceding the rebase calculation year, as calculated by the department as of the retrieval date.
(ai)
“New hospital” means a hospital operation, business, or facility functioning under current or prior ownership as a private hospital that does not have a days data source or a hospital that has a days data source in whole, or in part, from a previous operator where there is an outstanding monetary obligation owed to the state in connection with the Medi-Cal program and the hospital is not, or does not agree to become, financially responsible to the department for the outstanding monetary obligation in accordance with subdivision (d) of Section 14169.61.
(aj)
“Nondesignated public hospital” means either of the following:
(1)
A public hospital that is licensed under subdivision (a)
of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, is not designated as a specialty hospital in the hospital’s most recently filed Annual Financial Disclosure Report, as of the first day of a program period, and satisfies the definition in paragraph (25) of subdivision (a) of Section 14105.98, excluding designated public hospitals.
(2)
A tax-exempt nonprofit hospital that is licensed under subdivision (a) of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, is not designated as a specialty hospital in the hospital’s most recently filed Annual Financial Disclosure Report, as of the first day of a program period, is operating a hospital owned by a local health care district, and is affiliated with the health care district hospital owner by means of the district’s status as the nonprofit corporation’s sole corporate member.
(ak)
“Outpatient base amount” means the total amount of payments for
hospital outpatient services made to a hospital in the base calendar year, as reflected in the state paid claims files prepared by the department as of the retrieval date.
(al)
“Outpatient supplemental rate” means a fixed proportional supplemental payment for Medi-Cal outpatient services.
(am)
“Prepaid health plan hospital” means a hospital owned by a nonprofit public benefit corporation that shares a common board of directors with a nonprofit health care service plan, which exclusively contracts with no more than two medical groups in the state to provide or arrange for professional medical services for the enrollees of the plan, as of the effective date of this article.
(an)
“Prepaid health plan hospital managed care per diem quality assurance fee rate” means a fixed fee on non-Medi-Cal managed care fee days for
prepaid health plan hospitals.
(ao)
“Prepaid health plan hospital Medi-Cal managed care per diem quality assurance fee rate” means a fixed fee on Medi-Cal managed care fee days for prepaid health plan hospitals.
(ap)
“Private hospital” means a hospital that meets all of the following conditions:
(1)
Is licensed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code.
(2)
Is in the Charitable Research Hospital peer group, as set forth in the 1991 Hospital Peer Grouping Report published by the department, or is not designated as a specialty hospital in the hospital’s most recently filed Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Annual Financial Disclosure Report, as of the first day of a program period.
(3)
Does not satisfy the Medicare criteria to be classified as a long-term care hospital.
(4)
Is a nonpublic hospital, nonpublic converted hospital, or converted hospital as those terms are defined in paragraphs (26) to (28), inclusive, respectively, of subdivision (a) of Section 14105.98.
(5)
Is not a nondesignated public hospital or a designated public hospital.
(aq)
“Program period” means a period not to exceed three years during which a fee model and a supplemental payment model developed under this article shall be effective. The first program period shall be the period beginning January 1, 2014, and ending December 31, 2016, inclusive. The second program period shall be the period beginning on January 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2019. Each
subsequent program period shall begin on the day immediately following the last day of the immediately preceding program period and shall end on the last day of a state fiscal year, as determined by the department.
(ar)
“Quality assurance fee” means the quality assurance fee assessed pursuant to Section 14169.52 and collected on the basis of the quarterly quality assurance fee.
(as)
(1)
“Quarterly quality assurance fee” means, with respect to a hospital that is not a prepaid health plan hospital, the sum of all of the following:
(A)
The annual fee-for-service days for an individual hospital multiplied by the fee-for-service per diem quality assurance fee rate, divided by four.
(B)
The annual managed care days for an individual
hospital multiplied by the managed care per diem quality assurance fee rate, divided by four.
(C)
The annual Medi-Cal days for an individual hospital multiplied by the Medi-Cal per diem quality assurance fee rate, divided by four.
(2)
“Quarterly quality assurance fee” means, with respect to a hospital that is a prepaid health plan hospital, the sum of all of the following:
(A)
The annual fee-for-service days for an individual hospital multiplied by the fee-for-service per diem quality assurance fee rate, divided by four.
(B)
The annual managed care days for an individual hospital multiplied by the prepaid health plan hospital managed care per diem quality assurance fee rate, divided by four.
(C)
The annual Medi-Cal managed care fee days for an individual hospital multiplied by the prepaid health plan hospital Medi-Cal managed care per diem quality assurance fee rate, divided by four.
(D)
The annual Medi-Cal fee-for-service days for an individual hospital multiplied by the Medi-Cal per diem quality assurance fee rate, divided by four.
(at)
“Rebase calculation year” means a state fiscal year during which the department shall rebase the data, including, but not limited to, the days data source, used for the following: acute psychiatric days, annual fee-for-service days, annual managed care days, annual Medi-Cal days, fee-for-service days, general acute care days, high acuity days, managed care days, Medi-Cal days, Medi-Cal fee-for-service days, Medi-Cal managed care days, Medi-Cal managed care fee days, outpatient base amount, and transplant days, pursuant
to Section 14169.59. Beginning with the third program period, the rebase calculation year for a program period shall be the last subject fiscal year of the immediately preceding program period.
(au)
“Rebase year” means the first state fiscal year of a program period and shall immediately follow a rebase calculation year.
(av)
“Retrieval date” means a day for each data element during the last quarter of the rebase calculation year upon which the department retrieves the data, including, but not limited to, the days data source, used for the following: acute psychiatric days, annual fee-for-service days, annual managed care days, annual Medi-Cal days, fee-for-service days, general acute care days, high acuity days, managed care days, Medi-Cal days, Medi-Cal fee-for-service days, Medi-Cal managed care days, Medi-Cal managed care fee days, outpatient base amount, and transplant days,
pursuant to Section 14169.59. The retrieval date for each data element may be a different date within the quarter as determined to be necessary and appropriate by the department.
(aw)
“Subacute supplemental rate” means a fixed proportional supplemental payment for acute inpatient services based on a hospital’s prior provision of Medi-Cal subacute services.
(ax)
“Subject fiscal quarter” means a state fiscal quarter beginning on or after the first day of a program period and ending on or before the last day of a program period.
(ay)
“Subject fiscal year” means a state fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of a program period and ending on or before the last day of a program period.
(az)
“Subject month” means a calendar month beginning on or
after the first day of a program period and ending on or before the last day of a program period.
(ba)
“Transplant days” means the number of Medi-Cal days for Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs) 1, 2, 5 to 10, inclusive, 14, 15, or 652, according to the Patient Discharge Data File Documentation from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for the base calendar year accessed on the retrieval date.
(bb)
“Transplant per diem supplemental rate” means a fixed per diem supplemental payment for transplant days.
(bc)
“Upper payment limit” means a federal upper payment limit on the amount of the Medicaid payment for which federal financial participation is available for a class of service and a class of health care providers, as specified in Part 447 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal
Regulations. The applicable upper payment limit shall be separately calculated for inpatient and outpatient hospital services.
References
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1250.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124840.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14169.59.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14166.1.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14105.98.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14167.35.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14169.55.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14132.100.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14087.3.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14087.5.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14087.96.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14087.98.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14089.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14700.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14088.85.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14591.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 1396r.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14169.61.
referencesCal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 14169.52.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026