(a) The TEFRA and facility-specific per diem methodology
reviews process includes the following:
  (1) Admission review to evaluate the medical necessity
of the admission. For purposes of the Texas Medical Review Program
(TMRP), TEFRA reviews, medical necessity means the patient has a condition
requiring treatment that can be safely provided only in the inpatient
setting.
  (2) Continued stay review to verify the medical necessity
of each day of stay.
  (3) Quality of care review to assess whether the quality
of care provided meets generally accepted standards of medical and
hospital care practices or puts the patient at risk of unnecessary
injury or death. Quality of care review includes the use of discharge
screens and generic quality screens. If quality of care issues are
identified, physician consultants under contract with the Texas Health
and Human Services Commission (Commission), and of the specialty related
to the care provided, will determine possible clinical recommendations
or corrective actions.
(b) The Commission will review the complete medical
record for the requested admission(s) to make decisions on all aspects
of this review process. The complete medical record may include: emergency
room records, medical/surgical history and physical examination, discharge
summary, physicians' progress notes, physicians' orders, lab reports,
diagnostic and imaging reports, operative reports, pathology reports,
nurses' notes, medication sheets, vital signs sheets, therapy notes,
specialty consultation reports, and special diagnostic and treatment
records. If the complete medical record is not available during the
review, the Commission will issue a preliminary technical denial and
notify the facility.
(c) A physician consultant under contract with the
Commission will make all decisions concerning medical necessity, cause
of readmission, and appropriateness of setting for the service provided.
In the event the physician consultant determines the services were
not medically necessary, should have been provided in a previous admission,
or were not provided in the appropriate setting, the claim will be
denied, and the Commission will notify the hospital in writing. If
a hospital claim is denied for lack of medical necessity or for being
provided in an inappropriate setting, the Commission will consider
for denial physician and/or non-physician Medicaid provider claims
associated with the hospital admission or service when such claims
can be identified and are deemed to be the result of inappropriate
admission orders. Physicians and/or non-physician providers will be
notified in writing if the claim for professional services is denied.
The written notification will explain the process for appealing the
denial.


Source Note: The provisions of this §371.210 adopted to be effective June 14, 1989, 14 TexReg 2624; amended to be effective February 1, 1991, 16 TexReg 232; amended to be effective January 1, 1993, 17 TexReg 8457; transferred effective September 1, 1993, as published in the Texas Register January 28, 1994, 19 TexReg 589; amended to be effective November 22, 1995, 20 TexReg 9274; transferred effective September 1, 1997, as published in theTexas Register February 18, 2000, 25 TexReg 1308; amended to be effective March 30, 2003, 28 TexReg 2481; amended to be effective January 11, 2004, 29 TexReg 357; amended to be effective January 1, 2014, 38 TexReg 9479