Senate Bill 283 Summary

• Amends section 5111.20 of the Revised Code to revise definitions of costs used in determining Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded.

• Removes wheelchairs and resident transportation from the definition of "ancillary and support costs," limiting reimbursable costs for those items.

• Modifies "direct care costs" for nursing facilities by removing over-the-counter pharmacy products and therapy staff (physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and audiologists) from the definition, while adding emergency oxygen and prescription drugs as direct care costs.

• Maintains existing definitions and cost categories for intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded, including therapy staff and other direct care resources as specified in administrative rules.

• Repeals the existing version of section 5111.20 and replaces it with the amended definitions effective upon passage.