(210 ILCS 155/50)

Sec. 50. Duties of the Department.

(a) The Department is responsible for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the program. This includes but is not limited to:

(1) Collecting data required under Section 15 and data necessary to calculate the measures under Section 20 of this Act. The Department must make every effort to collect this data with the minimal amount of administrative burden to participating LTAC hospitals.

(2) Setting annual benchmarks or targets for the measures in Section 20 of this Act. The Department must consult participating LTAC hospitals when setting these benchmarks and targets.

(3) Monitoring compliance with all requirements of this Act.

(b) The Department shall include specific information on the Program in its annual medical programs report.

(c) The Department must establish monitoring procedures that ensure the LTAC supplemental payment is only paid for patients who upon admission meet the LTAC hospital criteria. The Department must notify qualified LTAC hospitals of the procedures and establish an appeals process as part of those procedures. The Department must recoup any LTAC supplemental payments that are identified as being paid for patients who do not meet the LTAC hospital criteria.

(d) The Department must implement the program by October 1, 2010.

(e) The Department must create and distribute to LTAC hospitals the agreement required under subsection (c) of Section 15 no later than September 1, 2010.

(f) The Department must notify Illinois hospitals which LTAC hospital criteria are approved for use under the program. The Department may limit LTAC hospital criteria to the most strict criteria that meet the definitions of this Act.

(g) (Blank).

(h) The Department must notify Illinois LTAC hospitals of the program and inform them how to apply for qualification and what the qualification requirements are as described under Section 15 of this Act.

(i) The Department must notify Illinois STAC hospitals about the operation and implementation of the program established by this Act. The Department must also notify LTAC hospitals that accepting transfers from the STAC hospitals identified in paragraphs (1) and (2) under subsection (a) of Section 25 of this Act are not required under paragraph (5) of subsection (c) of Section 15 of this Act. The Department must notify LTAC hospitals that accepting transfers from the STAC hospitals identified in paragraphs (1) and (2) under subsection (a) of Section 25 of this Act shall negatively impact the savings calculations under the Program evaluation required by Section 40 of this Act and shall in turn require the Department to initiate the penalty described in subsection (d) of Section 40 of this Act.

(j) The Department shall deem LTAC hospitals qualified under Section 15 of this Act as qualifying for expedited payments.

(k) The Department may use up to $500,000 of funds contained in the Public Aid Recoveries Trust Fund per State fiscal year to operate the program under this Act. The Department may expand existing contracts, issue new contracts, issue personal service contracts, or purchase other services, supplies, or equipment.

(l) The Department may promulgate rules as allowed by the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to implement this Act; however, the requirements under this Act shall be implemented by the Department even if the Department's proposed rules are not yet adopted by the implementation date of October 1, 2010.

(Source: P.A. 98-997, eff. 8-18-14.)