Relates to Medicaid reimbursement rates for private duty nursing

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Christopher Ryan says this is needed

Access to Private Duty Nursing (PDN) allows eligible medically fragile individuals, to remain in their homes and continue to receive quality skilled nursing care. When access to PDN services is not available to these vulnerable and high-acuity patients, they are relegated to care in a hospital or facility, which is not only a more expensive option but also often not the best option for the patient's or family's quality of life and responsiveness to care. The state sets fee-for-service reimbursement rates for PDN services. Unfortunately, Medicaid-managed care organizations often reimburse at a lower rate, making it difficult to recruit nurses to this program and for agencies to continue to provide PDN services. This bill would set the floor for Medicaid-managed care reimbursement at the same level as the fee-for-service rate thus ensuring this vulnerable population continues to have access to the professional and quality services of private duty nursing. This is generally a relatively small cohort of the patient population, who require intensive long-term continuous care due to a birth condition that requires a ventilator, tracheostomy, intubation tuber etc. and this would also care for adults who may suffer from conditions such as ALS or Parkinson's disease or following a stroke. PDNs provide comprehensive hourly long-term nursing care, anywhere from four to 24 hours per day. They are skilled in managing medical equipment and technology and have specific training to manage pediatric acuities and other medical complexities.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.