Washington Administrative Code
Title 182 - Health Care Authority
WASHINGTON APPLE HEALTH
Chapter 182-550 - Hospital services
Section 182-550-4550 - Administrative day rate and swing bed day rate

(a) The medicaid agency allows hospitals an administrative day rate for those days of hospital stay in which a client does not meet criteria for acute inpatient level of care, but is not discharged because:

(b) The agency uses the annual statewide weighted average nursing facility medicaid payment rate to update the all-inclusive administrative day rate on November 1st of each year.

(c) The agency pays for pharmacy services, pharmaceuticals and medically necessary ancillary services, as determined by the agency, when these services are provided during administrative days.

(d) The agency identifies administrative days during the length of stay review process after the client's discharge from the hospital.

(e) The agency pays for up to five newborn administrative days. The agency pays for additional days with expedited prior authorization (EPA). For EPA, a hospital must establish that the clinically appropriate EPA criteria outlined in the agency's published billing guides have been met. The hospital must use the appropriate EPA number when billing the agency.

(f) The agency pays the hospital the administrative day rate starting with the date of hospital admission if the admission is solely for a no placement administrative day stay.

(g) The agency pays the hospital the newborn administrative day rate only if:

(a) The agency does not pay a hospital the rate applicable to the acute inpatient level of care for those days of a hospital stay when a client is receiving agency-approved nursing service level of care in a swing bed.

(b) The agency's allowed amount for those ancillary services not covered under the swing bed day rate is based on the payment methods provided in WAC 182-550-6000 and 182-550-7200. These ancillary services may be billed by the hospital on an outpatient hospital claim, except for pharmacy services and pharmaceuticals.

(c) The agency allows pharmacy services and pharmaceuticals not covered under the swing bed day rate, that are provided to a client receiving agency-approved nursing service level of care, to be billed directly by a pharmacy through the point of sale system. The agency does not allow those pharmacy services and pharmaceuticals to be paid to the hospital through submission of a hospital outpatient claim.