Bureau of Long-Term Care Facilities
(614) 466-9088

The Bureau of Long-Term Care Facilities is comprised of four sections to carry out the functions of the Bureau. Each section maintains specific areas of responsibilities although some functions overlap within the Bureau.

• Reimbursement Section

  This section is responsible for completing per diem rate settings for all nursing facilities (NFs) and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded (ICFs-MR) participating in the Medicaid program. Other duties include design, implementing and testing of rate setting, design of the annual cost report, completion of final settlement calculations, completion of a risk analysis to determine audit needs, processing all nursing home rate reconsideration, extreme hardships, extreme circumstances, amended cost reports, capital rate adjustments for change in provider agreements, and renovation approvals for nursing homes.
   

• Case Mix Section

  Responsibilities include collecting clinical data submitted by long term care facilities on diskette. This data is used to determine the reimbursement rate for direct patient care services. In addition this section operates a help desk for providers and works with Management Information Systems to design, test, and implement system changes, and conducts clinical and statistical studies.
   

• Facility Contracting Section

  Responsibilities include provider agreements for NFs and ICFs-MR, change of provider agreements, nursing home complaints, franchise fee bed tax calculation, estate recovery projects, surety bonds for nursing homes needed for personal needs allowance, relocation, and collection of fines for nursing homes.
   

• Planning and Research Section

  This section is responsible for filing or assisting in filing nursing home reimbursement rules, conducts annual trends in nursing home costs and other related data, filing of state plans for reimbursement related rules, responds to inquires regarding long term care state plans, reviews proposed legislation to determine fiscal impact on long term care facilities, and completes "what if" analyses to potential changes in the existing reimbursement system.