Library: Policy
317:55-1-3. Definitions
Revised 9-12-22
The following words and terms, when used in this Chapter, shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"1115 waiver" means the demonstration waiver, as amended and including all active special terms and conditions (STCs) at a specific point in time, that authorizes Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to operate a program in which one or more requirements of Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Act) are waived based on the waiver authority of section 1115 of the Act.
"1915(c) waiver" means any waiver, authorized by section 1915(c) of the Act, that allows specific coverage of home- and community-based services to a limited group of Medicaid-eligible individuals as an alternative to institutional care.
"Accountable care organization" or "ACO" means a group of clinicians, hospitals, or other health care providers who come together voluntarily to give coordinated high-quality care to a designated group of patients.
"Act" means the Social Security Act.
"Adult" means an individual twenty-one (21) years of age or older, unless otherwise specified by statute, regulation, and/or policy adopted by the OHCA. For eligibility criteria policy for children and adults, please refer to Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 317:35-5-2.
"Adverse determination" means a determination by a health carrier, including an managed care organization (MCO) or dental benefits manager (DBM), or its designee that an admission, availability of care, continued stay or other health care service that is a covered benefit has been reviewed and, based upon the information provided, does not meet the health carrier's requirements for medical necessity, appropriateness, health care setting, level of care or effectiveness, and the requested service or payment for services is therefore denied, reduced or terminated.
"Alternative benefit plan" means the benefit package delivered to expansion adults which is developed by OHCA and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in accordance with the requirements of Subpart C of 42 C.F.R. Part 440.
"American Indian/Alaska Native" or "AI/AN" means any individual as defined in 25 U.S.C. '' 1603(13), 1603(28) or 1679(a) or who has been determined eligible as an Indian under 42 C.F.R. ' 136.12.
"Appeal" means a review by an MCO or DBM of an adverse benefit determination.
"Authorized representative" means a competent adult who has the managed care enrollee's signed, written authorization to act on the managed care enrollee's behalf during the grievance, appeal, and State fair hearing process. The written authority to act will specify any limits of the representation.
"Capitation payment" means a payment, based on an actuarially sound capitation rate for the provision of Oklahoma Medicaid State Plan services under a managed care contract, that OHCA makes periodically to the MCO or DBM behalf of each enrollee enrolled in that MCO or DBM, regardless of whether the enrollee actually receives services during the period covered by the payment.
"Capitation rate" means the actuarially sound per-enrollee, per-month amount, including any adjustments, that OHCA agrees to pay an MCO or DBM for the provision of State Plan services.
"Child" means an individual under twenty-one (21) years of age, unless otherwise specified by statute, regulation, and/or policy adopted by the OHCA. For eligibility criteria policy for children and adults, please refer to OAC 317:35-5-2.
"Children's Health Insurance Program" or "CHIP" means a federal Medicaid program authorized under Title XXI of the Social Security Act.
"Choice counseling" means the provision of information and services designed to assist eligibles in making enrollment decisions related to the managed care program. Choice counseling includes answering questions and identifying factors to consider when choosing among MCOs or DBMs, as well as when choosing a patient-centered medical home provider or dental home provider. Choice counseling does not include making recommendations for or against enrollment into a specific MCO or DBM.
"Chronic condition" means a condition that is expected to last one (1) year or more and requires ongoing medical attention and/or limits activities of daily living (ADL).
"Civil monetary damage" means a damage imposed by OHCA which the MCO must pay for acting or failing to act in accordance with 42 C.F.R. ' 438.700 et seq. Amounts may not exceed those specified in 42 C.F.R. ' 438.704.
"Claims denial error rate" means the rate of claims denials that are overturned on appeal.
"Clean claim" means a properly completed billing form with coding based on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), 4th Edition or a more recent edition, the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases or a more recent revision, or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), where applicable, to provide information specifically required in the OHCA Provider Billing and Procedure Manual.
"C.F.R." means the Code of Federal Regulations.
"Contract" means the risk contract or the written and executed agreement between OHCA and a health plan or managed care organization or dental benefit manager for health plan or managed care services and includes the solicitation, the bid, the contract addenda, appendices, attachments, and amendments, and any documents incorporated into the contract by reference or otherwise, as well as any document or information subject to the rules on legally binding procurement in Chapter 10 of these rules.
"Copayment" means a fixed amount that an enrollee pays for a covered health care service when the enrollee receives the service.
"Cost sharing" means the State's requirement that an enrollee bear some of the cost of their care through mechanisms such as copayments, deductibles, and other similar charges.
"Deemed newborn" means children born to SoonerCare enrolled mothers and determined eligible under 42 C.F.R. ' 435.117.
"Dental benefits manager" or "DBM" means a health plan under contract with the OHCA to manage and deliver dental benefits and services to enrollees and designated as a pre-paid ambulatory health plan (PAHP) under 42 C.F.R. Part 438.
"Dental home" or "DH" means the care coordinated delivery system as defined within the contract between OHCA and a DBM.
"Disenrollment" means OHCA's removal of an enrollee from participation in a specific MCO or DBM or from participation in the managed care program.
"Dual eligible individuals" means individuals eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare.
"Eligible" means an individual who has been deemed eligible for Medicaid in the State of Oklahoma and is eligible for participation in the managed care program but who is not yet enrolled in an MCO or DBM.
"Emergency services" means medical services provided for a medical condition, including injury, manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity, including severe pain, that a prudent layperson who possesses an average knowledge of health and medicine could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in placing the individual's health, or the health of an unborn child, in serious jeopardy, serious impairment to bodily functions or serious dysfunction of any bodily organs or parts.
"Enrollee" means an individual who has been deemed eligible for Medicaid in the State of Oklahoma, who has been deemed eligible for enrollment in a managed care program, and who is currently enrolled in a managed care program.
"Enrollee handbook" means a guidebook prepared as a model by OHCA and modified and distributed by the MCO or DBM to its enrollees. The enrollee handbook is designed to help the enrollee understand the MCO or DBM, the managed care program, and the rights and responsibilities that come with enrollment in the program.
"Enrollment" means the OHCA process by which an eligible becomes an enrollee with an MCO or DBM.
"Enrollment activities" means activities that OHCA performs or conducts related to distributing, collecting, or processing enrollment materials, taking enrollments by technological device or in person, or enrolling or disenrolling eligibles into any MCO or DBM.
"Essential community provider" means a provider defined by 45 C.F.R. ' 156.235.
"Essential hospital services" means tertiary care hospital services to which the MCO must provide access, including but not limited to neonatal, perinatal, pediatric, trauma and burn services.
"Expansion adult" means an individual nineteen (19) or older and under age sixty-five (65), with income at or below one hundred thirty-eight percent (138%) of the federal poverty level (FPL) determined eligible in accordance with 42 C.F.R. ' 435.119), and who are not categorically related to the aged, blind, and disabled.
"Former foster children" or "FFC" means individuals under age twenty-six (26) determined eligible in accordance with 42 C.F.R. ' 435.150 who were in foster care under the responsibility of the State or an Indian Tribe within Oklahoma and enrolled in SoonerCare on the date of attaining age eighteen (18) or aging out of foster care.
"Foster children (FC)" means children in foster care under the responsibility of the State, including children and youth who are in State custody due to abuse or neglect.
"Fraud" means intentional deception or misrepresentation made by a person with the knowledge that the deception could result in some unauthorized benefit to himself or some other person. It includes any act that constitutes fraud under applicable federal or State law.
"Grievance" means an enrollee's expression of dissatisfaction about any matter other than an adverse benefit determination. Grievances may include, but are not limited to, the quality of care or services provided, aspects of interpersonal relationships such as rudeness of a provider or employee or failure to respect the enrollee's rights regardless of whether remedial action is requested. A grievance includes an enrollee's right to dispute an extension of time to make an authorization decision when proposed by the MCO or DBM.
"Grievance and appeal system" means the processes the MCO or DBM must implement in accordance with 42 C.F.R. Part 438, Subpart F, to handle enrollee grievances and appeals, as well as the processes to collect and track information about them.
"Health care services" means all Medicaid State Plan services provided, according to contract, by the MCO or DBM in any setting. Health care services may include but are not limited to medical care, behavioral health care, dental care, and pharmacy services.
"Health plan" means the same in these rules as at 36 O.S. ' 4405.1.
"Implementation" means the process by which OHCA and the MCO or DBM performs actions and responsibilities to actively implement a managed care program or contract for the first time. Implementation also means, depending on its use, the moment in time that such actions and responsibilities are fully completed.
"Implementation period" means the period of time, as defined in contract, during which implementation occurs.
"Indian health care provider" or "IHCP" means a health care program operated by the Indian Health Service (IHS) or by an Indian Tribe, Tribal Organization, or Urban Indian Organization (otherwise known as an I/T/U) as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. ' 1603).
"Initial enrollment" means an eligible's enrollment in an MCO or DBM during the initial enrollment period.
"Initial enrollment period" means the first period of time, as defined in contract, prior to or immediately following managed care program or contract implementation, when eligibles can first enroll in an MCO or DBM for the managed care program.
"Managed care organization" or "MCO" means a health plan designated as a managed care organization pursuant to 42 C.F.R. 438.2 and under contract with OHCA to participate in the managed care program and to deliver health care services to enrollees.
"Managed care program" or "managed care" or "MCP" means a health care delivery system organized to manage cost, utilization, and quality that is operated by a state as authorized under sections 1915(a), 1915(b), 1932(a) or 1115(a) of the Social Security Act and relevant state law.
"Manual" or "guide" means any document, outside of the Medicaid State Plan, any Medicaid waiver, and the rules, that is created by or for OHCA for use in interpreting or implementing contractual terms. "Manual" is synonymous with guide, guidebook, companion guide, manual, reference book, dictionary, handbook, model, instructions, primer, workbook, or any other words denoting a document that is handled as a matter of convenience.
"Material change" means, but not limited to, any change in the overall business operations such as policy, process or protocol which affects, or can reasonably be expected to affect, more than five percent (5%) of enrollees or participating providers of the MCO or DBM.
"Medical necessity" means a standard for evaluating the appropriateness of services as established under OAC 317:30-3-1.
"National Provider Identifier (NPI)" means a unique identification number for covered health care providers. Covered health care providers and all MCOs, DBMs, and health care clearinghouses must use an NPI in the administrative and financial transactions adopted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The NPI is a ten-position, intelligence-free numeric identifier (ten-digit number). This means that the numbers do not carry other information about healthcare providers, such as the state in which they live or their medical specialty. The NPI must be used in lieu of legacy provider identifiers in the HIPAA standards transactions.
"Non-participating provider" means a physician or other provider who has not contracted with or is not employed by the MCO or DBM to deliver services under the managed care program.
"Non-urgent sick visit" means medical care given for an acute onset of symptoms which is not emergent or urgent in nature but which requires face-to-face medical attention within seventy-two (72) hours of enrollee notification of a non-urgent condition, as clinically indicated. Examples of non-urgent sick visits include cold symptoms, sore throat, and nasal congestion.
"Open enrollment" means an eligible's selection of and enrollment in an MCO or DBM during the open enrollment period.
"Open enrollment period" means the annual period of time, as defined by contract, when managed care enrollees and eligibles can enroll in and select an MCO or DBM for the managed care program.
"Parent and caretaker relative" means an individual determined eligible under 42 C.F.R. ' 435.110.
"Participating provider" means a physician or other provider who has a contract with or is employed by an MCO or DBM to provide health care services to enrollees under the capitated managed care delivery model of the managed care program.
"Patient-centered medical home" or "PCMH" means, in this chapter, the care coordinated delivery system as defined within the contract between OHCA and an MCO.
"Pregnant women" means women determined eligible for SoonerCare under 42 C.F.R. ' 435.116.
"Presumptive eligibility" means limited period of managed care program eligibility for individuals who are categorically related to certain eligibility groups listed in OAC 317:35-6-38(a)(1)(A)(i) through (vi) and are also determined by a qualified hospital, on the basis of preliminary information provided by the applicant on a completed HPE application, to be eligible for managed care program services.
"Primary care dentist" or "PCD" means a provider under contract with a DBM to provide primary health care services, as contracted, and case management, including all medically necessary referrals for specialty services and prior authorizations. In these rules, "dental home provider" or "DH provider" bears the same meaning as "primary care dentist" or "PCD".
"Primary care provider" or "PCP" means a provider under contract with an MCO to provide primary health care services, as contracted, and case management, including securing all medically necessary referrals for specialty services and prior authorizations. In these rules, "patient-centered medical home provider" or "PCMH provider" bears the same meaning as "primary care provider" or "PCP".
"Prior authorization" or "PA" means a requirement that an enrollee, through the enrollee=s provider, obtain the MCO's or DBM's approval before a requested medical service is provided or before services by a non-participating provider are received. Prior authorization is not a guarantee of claims payment; however, failure to obtain prior authorization may result in denial of the claim or reduction in payment of the claim.
"Provider" means a health care services provider licensed or certified in this State.
"Provider agreement" means an agreement between the MCO or DBM and a participating provider that describes the conditions under which the participating provider agrees to furnish covered health care services to enrollees.
"Risk contract" means a contract between OHCA and an MCO, prepaid inpatient health plan (PIHP), or prepaid ambulatory health plan (PAHP), as those terms are defined at 42 C.F.R. ' 438.2, under which the contractor assumes risk for the cost of the services covered under the contract and incurs loss if the cost of furnishing the services exceeds the payments under the contract.
"SoonerCare" means the Oklahoma Medicaid program.
"Soon-To-Be-Sooner" means Oklahoma's separate CHIP providing coverage to unborn children of families earning up to and including one hundred eighty-five percent (185%) of the FPL.
"Specialty Children's Plan" means the single statewide managed care plan, as contracted with a single MCO, that will coordinate and deliver health care services, as defined by contract, in a highly coordinated manner to the specialty population. The specialty population includes Medicaid eligibles who are FFC, select juvenile justice involved Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA), in foster care (FC), children with an open prevention services case (PSC) through case workers or receiving adoption assistance (AA).
"State Plan" means an agreement between OHCA and CMS describing how Oklahoma administers its Medicaid and CHIP programs.
"Steady state enrollment" means the period of time, as defined by contract, when an individual, who first became an eligible during steady state operations or who became eligible again during steady state operations after more than two (2) months lapse of eligibility, can first enroll in and select an MCO or DBM for the managed care program.
"Steady state operations" or "steady state" means the period of time, as defined by contract, after initial implementation and prior to contract termination, during which all managed care program elements are expected to be operational.
"Third party liability" or "TPL" means all or part of the expenditures for a managed care enrollee's medical assistance furnished under the Oklahoma Medicaid State Plan that may be the liability of a third-party individual, entity or program.
"Value-added benefit" means any benefit or service offered by an MCO or DBM when that benefit or service is not a covered benefit per the State Plan. These benefits are subject to change annually as determined by the MCO or DBM and OHCA.
"Value-based payment arrangement" means a payment arrangement between an MCO or DBM and its participating providers when payment is intentionally aligned with quality measures OHCA applies to the MCO or DBM.
"Value-based purchasing" means the provisions of a contract for managed care services when those provisions intentionally align OHCA payments to the MCO or DBM under contract with quality measures or other performance factors OHCA may apply to the MCO or DBM.
